Call Me Old Fashioned
by Bohemian.Butterfly
Summary: This story follows Sharon and Andy as they prepare for their first date at Serve and follows them on their journey through the ups and downs of dating and what that means in the grand scheme of things.
1. Fine

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen. A/N: The title of this story was inspired by Andy and Sharon's old fashioned dating and her insistence in 4x8, when reporting their change in relationship status to Chief Taylor, that they were dating in "the old fashioned sense of the word." The chapter title was of course inspired by Sharon's response to Andy asking her out on a date to Serve, which is where part of this chapter takes place.

 **Chapter 1: Fine**

Sharon had told Rusty that she was going to dinner with Andy tonight. Rusty didn't miss the fact that she had called him Andy when she had told him that either. Sharon insisted that it was only dinner, which wasn't entirely a lie. They were going to dinner. It was just the fact that it was a dinner date that she didn't mention. Rusty knew though, but decided not to pry because he knew Sharon was a very private person and that she would talk to him about it when she was ready to. The fact that she had been in her room getting ready for around an hour and a half now was a dead giveaway though. People who were just friends didn't spend nearly two hours getting ready to go to dinner together.

Meanwhile, back in her bedroom, Sharon had only recently just settled on an outfit. She had been having a difficult time choosing one. She wanted this to feel like a date, not a dinner between coworkers or friends. She was adamant about that. She wore dresses to work sometimes, but they were always very conservative and even when she would hang out with Andy outside of work, she had usually kept it low key and pretty casual. Tonight was not the time for casual or very conservative. She would keep it classy, but she also wanted it to be apparent that she was dressing for a date. Which is how she ended up choosing a dark purple, sleeveless, lace sheath dress that came to just above her knees and had a sheer lace panel at the top of it. She had put it on and was currently putting the finishing touches on her makeup before she did her hair. She had turned the curling iron on to heat up while she was putting on her makeup. She was planning to keep her hair fairly simple by just curling the ends into waves and finishing it with hairspray.

Andy would be there in about 30 minutes to pick her up. She had requested that he text her when he got there and that she would meet him down in the parking garage. It wasn't that she was ashamed or embarrassed to be dating Andy Flynn. Quite the opposite actually. They had talked about it and agreed that it might be best to gradually ease Rusty into the whole idea of her and Andy dating. Plus, it would be kind of nice to have her and Andy be the only ones who knew they were dating for a while before they let people know about it.

So, as Sharon was putting the finishing touches on her hair about 20 minutes later, she heard her phone ding signaling that she had a text message. She unlocked her phone and saw that Andy had sent her a text letting her know that he was there and to take her time if she needed to because he knew he was a little early. She smiled at the message and quickly texted him back, letting him know that she would be down in about five minutes or so. She went about slipping her black heels on and grabbing her metallic black clutch purse before exiting her bedroom and walking down the hall to find Rusty and let him know that she was leaving. She found him on the couch in the living room watching TV.

"Okay. I'm leaving now. Did you eat?" Sharon asked him.

"Yeah. I grabbed some leftovers out of the fridge about an hour ago," Rusty replied.

"Okay. I shouldn't be too late. Are you sure you're going to be okay here by yourself?" Sharon asked.

"I'll be fine, Sharon. Now, go. Have fun and stop worrying. After all, it's just dinner," Rusty replied.

He knew Sharon would clue him in on the fact that she and Andy were dating when she was ready, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have a little fun with it in the meantime.

"Okay. I'll see you later. Rusty?" said Sharon.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I love you," said Sharon.

"Love you, too. Now, go," Rusty told her.

"Okay. I'm going," Sharon told him as she headed out the door and shut and locked it behind her before she headed for the elevator.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the parking garage, Andy was waiting for Sharon in front of the elevator. He supposed that he could've just waited outside of his car, but he thought it would be more chivalrous if he met her at the elevator. A couple minutes later, he heard the ding of the elevator as the doors opened to reveal a stunning Sharon Raydor as she stepped out of the elevator towards him. He wasn't sure how long it was before he spoke, but he hoped it wasn't too long. He was just in awe of how beautiful she looked. It was her chuckle that snapped him out of his reverie.

"What? Do I have something on my shirt?" He asked her.

"No. I was just laughing about how we randomly seem to match without knowing what the other person is going to be wearing. It's happened on more than one occasion. It's cute though," Sharon said as she patted the dark purple tie he was wearing with his white dress shirt and charcoal gray suit.

"Oh my god, you're right. You look stunning, by the way," Andy told her as he noticed their matching outfits.

"Thank you. You don't clean up half bad yourself," she told him.

"Thanks. I do my best. Are you ready to go?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah. Let's go," Sharon told him as they walked towards his car and then headed for the restaurant.

Serve was a traditional French restaurant and he was right when he had said it was one of the most romantic places in Los Angeles. He had definitely pulled out all of the stops on this one. They were seated at a candlelit table near the back, which afforded them a bit of seclusion from the other diners and a great view of downtown LA from the window. After they were given their menus and had placed their order with the waiter, it finally gave them a chance to talk.

"You did good, Andy. This place is amazing," Sharon told him.

Andy smiled at her before he said, "Yeah, it is. I kept seeing it on my way to work in the morning and then recently, I actually looked it up to see what it was all about. I thought you'd enjoy it."

Sharon smiled at him before she said jokingly," So, tell me about yourself."

"Did you really just pull that card out?" Andy asked her.

"Hey! I haven't been on an actual date in almost 25 years. Give me a break. Plus, no offence, but I'm sure you're much better at this sort of thing than I am," she told him.

"Well, apparently I do pretty well in that department because I somehow got you to go on a date with me," Andy told her.

"Well, it didn't take much convincing to get me to say yes," Sharon told him.

"Sharon Raydor, are you flirting with me?" Andy asked her lightheartedly.

"Isn't that what people do on dates?" She asked teasingly.

"See. You're not so bad at this whole dating thing after all," Andy told her.

"I try. So, tell me something I don't know about you," said Sharon.

"Hmm. You might be shocked to know this, but believe it or not, I'm a pretty good cook," Andy told her.

"Really? A man that can cook. Well, we might just have to test out those skills at some point," Sharon told him.

"Anytime. So, how about you? Tell me something I don't already know about you," said Andy.

"Hmm. Whenever a song I really like comes on in the car or at home, I will shamelessly dance to it. It may not be good dancing, but it's dancing nonetheless," Sharon told him.

Andy smiled at her before saying, "I'm sure it's not that bad."

"I don't know…you might have to ask my kids on that one," Sharon replied.

"Or maybe witness it for myself," said Andy.

"Hmm…maybe. Look who's flirting now," said Sharon.

"It's not difficult to do, especially when I'm with you," Andy admitted.

Sharon smiled at that before saying, "I have to admit, this is a lot easier than I thought it would be."

"What?" Andy asked.

"This whole transition from friends to dating," Sharon replied.

"Well, I think we've been moving towards it for a while now. We just didn't know it," said Andy.

"Yeah. We were kind of slow to figure that one out, weren't we?" Sharon replied.

"Maybe. Or maybe neither of us were ready before," Andy replied.

"And now we are?" Sharon asked.

"I don't know about you, but I'm in if you are," Andy replied.

"I'm totally in," Sharon replied.

It was then that the waiter brought them their food. They continued to talk and flirt throughout dinner and long after it.

* * *

After a couple hours, the waiter approached their table and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're about to close for the night. So, I'm going to need to cash you out."

"Of course. Here you go," said Andy as he handed the waiter his debit card.

"Thank you. I'll get this right back to you, sir," the waiter replied.

"Thanks," Andy replied as he turned his attention back to Sharon.

"I can't believe we closed down the restaurant," Sharon said as she chuckled.

"I can. Like you said, us transitioning into dating was easy," said Andy.

"And as you pointed out, we don't have any problems in the flirting department," Sharon replied.

"Definitely not. And with all of that considered, I'm thinking we should do this whole dating thing again some time," said Andy.

"I agree. As long as you let me plan this one. You've really outdone yourself with this one. Now, it's my turn," said Sharon.

"Deal," Andy replied.

"Okay. How about Saturday?" Sharon asked.

"Saturday sounds great," Andy replied.

"Great," Sharon said.

Just then, the waiter came back with Andy's debit card.

"Thank you very much for your business. Have a good night," the waiter told them.

"You too," both Sharon and Andy said to him at the same time before he walked away from the table.

"Ready to go?" Andy asked.

"Yeah. Let's go," Sharon replied as they both got up from the table and began heading for the exit of the restaurant. It was then that Andy decided to make a bold move and grabbed Sharon's hand to hold it. Sharon hadn't been expecting it, but didn't seem to mind it either.

"Is this okay? Cause if not, I can let go," he told her.

"Don't. Let go, I mean. Don't let go," she told him as they arrived at Andy's car.

"Well, I'm going to have to let go for a second to walk over to the driver's side, but then my hand is all yours for the whole drive back to your place," Andy said as he opened the passenger door for Sharon.

"Good to know," Sharon replied as Andy momentarily let go of her hand to close the door and make his way over to the driver's side to get in the car, where, after he started the car and backed out of the parking space, their hands rejoined, as Andy made his way towards Sharon's condo.

* * *

Once they arrived in the parking garage of Sharon's condo building, Andy killed the engine, as they continued to hold hands.

Sharon rubbed circles across Andy's palm for a minute before she spoke.

"You wanna walk me upstairs to my floor?" Sharon asked him.

"Sure," Andy replied as he smiled at her and they both got out of the car, letting go of each other's hands for only a moment before rejoining them in front of Andy's car as they made their way to the elevator and took it to the floor Sharon lived on.

Once they stepped just outside the elevator, Sharon said, "Again, Andy, thank you. I had a great time tonight. I'm very much looking forward to our date on Saturday."

"Me too," Andy said as he moved slightly closer to her. "Now, I'd like to kiss you, but I'm not sure if that's breaking some kind of rule or something," Andy said to her.

"When I was talking about having an old-fashioned relationship earlier, I didn't mean that I was dead," Sharon replied as she inched her face closer to Andy's.

It was then that he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to hers as he put his hand on her cheek and she put her hand on his chest, over his heart. It was Sharon that broke the kiss a few moments later and smiled at Andy, as she caught him doing the same.

"We can't have that blood pressure of yours getting high too quickly," Sharon teased as her hand continued to rest over his heart.

Andy grabbed her hand and continued resting it against his chest as he said, "No, but there's medication for that. Medication that I happen to be taking."

"Huh. I'll have to keep that in mind," Sharon replied as she slowly let go of his hand and began walking backwards slowly toward her condo.

"You're such a tease. You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Andy asked her.

"Again, I'll remind you, I'm old fashioned, not dead. Goodnight, Andy," Sharon said as she smiled back at him.

Andy smiled back at her as he said, "Goodnight, Sharon."

It was there that their first official date ended and a successful date at that. After Sharon made her way towards the door to her condo and went inside, Andy Flynn couldn't help but think that he could get used to this old fashioned dating thing, as he made his way back towards the elevator.

* * *

Meanwhile, after Sharon closed the door to her condo, she leaned her back against the door and smiled as she ran her fingers across her lips.

It was Rusty's voice coming from the kitchen that shook her out of her daze.

"Dinner must have gone pretty well, huh?" Rusty asked teasingly.

"Rusty…" Sharon said warningly.

"Save it, Sharon. It's pretty obvious what's going on between you and Lieutenant Flynn," Rusty replied.

"What do you mean?" Sharon asked.

"Well, besides the fact that you took almost two hours to get ready to go to dinner with him tonight, I saw the look on your face when you walked in here. It's so obvious that the two of you are dating," Rusty replied.

"And if Andy and I were dating…how would you feel about that?" Sharon asked him.

"It's your life, Sharon. I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it yet, but what I will say is that I'm happy that you're happy. Oh, and next time, don't make the poor guy wait downstairs, which is what I assume happened tonight. Tell him I won't kill him if he comes to the door, now an interrogation maybe, but…." Rusty trailed off.

"Rusty…" Sharon warned him.

"What? Somebody's got to be here to do it," Rusty replied.

"Just don't be too hard on him, that's all I ask. I swear, you've been hanging around cops for way too long," said Sharon.

"Well, that tends to happen when your mother is a police Captain," Rusty replied.

"Goodnight, Rusty," Sharon told him as she began to make the trek down the hall to her bedroom.

"Goodnight, Sharon," Rusty replied as he turned and made his way towards the fridge for a midnight snack.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Sharon made her way into her bedroom, she pulled her phone out to text Andy about what had just happened.

 _So, I guess the cat's out of the bag. At least as far as Rusty is concerned._

A minute later, her phone dinged, signaling he had replied.

 _He's a perceptive kid. So, how did he respond?_

After reading it, she replied:

 _Yes he is. He seemed to be alright with it. Maybe not 100% sure of it all yet, but I'm sure he'll get there eventually. Oh, and apparently you've been upgraded to door status. He said not to make you wait downstairs again. Although, I'll warn you, you do it at your own risk. He was threatening an interrogation earlier. I think you and Provenza have been rubbing off on him._

She hit send. A minute later he replied back with:

 _I'll take my chances._

She replied with a smiley face and then wrote:

 _Sweet dreams, Andy._

A minute later, Andy responded with:

 _You're such a flirt._

Sharon replied:

 _What can I say, I've got talent._

Andy replied with a smiley face and:

 _Goodnight, Sharon._

Sharon quickly texted back:

 _Goodnight, Andy._

It was there that their conversation ended for the night and there was no doubt that both of them went to sleep smiling that night after such a triumphant first date. They knew there might be bumps along the way, but as long as they had each other, they were both ready to jump in head first into this adventure that people called dating.

A/N: Feel free to leave me a review. This is only the second fanfic that I've ever posted and I'm always open to constructive criticism. So, feel free to let me know if you've enjoyed reading this so far or not.


	2. Surprising Moments

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen. A/N: The chapter title was inspired by the surprising (to them at least) moments that Sharon and Andy experience in this chapter. Hope you enjoy! 

**Chapter 2: Surprising Moments**

It had now been almost a week since Andy and Sharon's first date. Today was Saturday and they hadn't caught a new case since they had wrapped up the previous one the night before. This meant that Sharon Raydor's plans for their second date didn't have to change. She had bought the tickets on Monday and was hoping that everything at work would work out and that she and Andy would be able to use them.

It seemed that luck was on their side because it was now Saturday afternoon and they hadn't caught another case yet. So, Sharon was currently getting ready for their date. She had decided to dress rather casual for this date as the dress code for where they were going didn't require people to dress fancy or anything like that. Sharon had chosen to simply wear dark jeans, a cream colored t-shirt, and blue flats for their date and had gone fairly simple with her makeup as well. She was currently in the process of putting the finishing touches on her wavy hair when she heard a ringing noise coming from the living room. Before she got a chance to go answer it though, the noise stopped, so she figured it was just a wrong number or something. She didn't know how much she would regret not checking out the source of the noise in just a minute.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the living room, Rusty had found the source of the ringing noise and had answered Ricky and Emily's Skype call on Sharon's computer.

"Hey," Rusty said to his siblings.

"Hey little brother!" Ricky replied.

"Hey Rusty! Where's mom?" Emily asked.

"Well, I'm not 100% sure I'm supposed to tell you this, but she's getting ready for her date," Rusty replied to Emily's question.

"What are you talking about?" Emily asked at the same time that Ricky asked, "With who?"

"Well…she and Lieutenant Flynn have sort of been dating for about a week now," Rusty replied.

"Oh, this is good," Emily said.

"Lieutenant Flynn as in Andy Flynn?" Ricky asked just to clarify.

"Of course he's talking about Andy, Ricky! How many Lieutenant Flynn's do you know?" Emily asked.

"Hey! Don't yell at me! I was just trying to clarify that we were talking about the same person. Speaking of talking, why didn't you call us sooner and tell us this, little brother?" Ricky asked.

Suddenly, Sharon's voice could be heard as she was walking down the hallway towards the living room as she asked, "Rusty, who are you talking to?"

"Ooh little brother. You're in trouble!" said Ricky.

"And why would he be in trouble?" Sharon asked as she walked towards the living room and into view of the webcam.

"Rusty was just enlightening us about the fact that you have a hot date with a certain Lieutenant today," Emily replied.

At this moment, Sharon looked from the computer screen to Rusty and frowned at him before saying to him, "Out of the chair, now."

Rusty, knowing Sharon meant business, immediately got up out of the chair and went into the kitchen to grab something to eat.

Sharon sat down in the chair and turned her attention back to Ricky and Emily on the computer screen.

"Em, is mom blushing? Cause I think she's blushing," said Ricky.

"Oh yeah. She's totally blushing," Emily replied.

"Are you two done?" Sharon asked them.

"For now," Emily replied.

"So, this whole thing is pretty recent. Me and Andy dating. I was looking for the right time to tell the two of you and if I'd known that both of you would be Skyping me today, I would've told you myself, but apparently someone beat me to it," Sharon said as she looked towards the couch at Rusty, who was snacking on a bowl of watermelon.

"Seriously, Sharon. What was I supposed to tell them? They asked where you were and I told them the truth," Rusty replied.

"He has a point, mom," Ricky replied.

"Thank you," said Rusty from across the room.

"Yes, unfortunately he does," Sharon said as she only slightly glared at Rusty for a moment.

In all honesty, Sharon wasn't all that mad at Rusty for telling Ricky and Emily about her and Andy dating. In fact, it sort of made it easier to talk about it now that Rusty had done the tricky part. Now, she was just curious to know what they thought of the idea of her and Andy dating. Although, judging by their teasing attitude, she figured that they at least felt okay about the situation.

"Now, getting back to the subject, how much did your brother tell you?" Sharon asked them.

"Just that you were getting ready for your date and that you and Andy had been dating for about a week now," Emily replied.

"Sounds about right. So, how do you guys feel about all of this?" Sharon asked them.

"I think its great mom! You deserve to be happy," Emily replied.

"I'm totally cool with it! Andy's a great guy," said Ricky.

"Yeah, he is," Sharon replied as she looked down for a second and smiled to herself.

"Aww…look Ricky! Mom's totally smiling right now!" Emily exclaimed happily.

"Hey, where's Rusty," Ricky asked.

"Right here," Rusty said as he walked over to the computer and his face came into view on the screen.

"Hold on a second. Are you both really okay with this?" Sharon asked.

"Mom, stop worrying. I think it's fantastic that you're dating again! You deserve to be happy and all of us know that wasn't ever going to happen with dad," Emily replied.

"Yeah, mom. Relax. We're totally cool with it. Plus, when was the last time we saw mom smile like that, Emily?" Ricky asked.

"I don't think I remember ever seeing mom smile the way that she was smiling a little bit ago. She's must have it bad," said Emily teasingly.

"Well, now that I know that you both seem to be okay with this, I'm going to leave you two to talk with your brother while I get ready to go," Sharon told them as she got out of the chair to let Rusty sit down.

"Bye, mom," said Emily.

"Yeah. Bye, mom. Now, little brother, if I'm not mistaken, you won that little bet you made during Christmastime last year, didn't you?" Ricky asked.

"What bet?" Sharon asked as she turned around from where she had been getting ready to walk down the hall and turned to walk back over to the computer screen.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Sharon asked them.

"No. Well, you see mom…last year around Christmastime, when you and Rusty went to the Nutcracker with Andy and his daughter, Nicole, Rusty and Nicole sort of made a bet about how long it would take you and Andy to get together," Ricky replied.

"Yeah. Rusty said around six months because he couldn't see you two "not dating" for much longer than that. That you two would eventually get it together and realize that you liked each other as more than friends. Nicole said a year just because she felt like her dad could be a bit bashful about this sort of thing, especially given the situation of you being her dad's boss," said Emily as she finished the story.

"Oh my god. Where have I gone wrong? I have the two of you teasing me incessantly about this whole dating thing and then I have Rusty over here spilling the beans and placing bets on my love life. I'm going to go get my bag and then I'm leaving," said Sharon.

"To go meet your hot date," Emily mumbled.

"In fact, yes. And I plan to enjoy every minute with said date," Sharon replied matter of factly to Emily's comment.

"Oh, mom. Gross! Why did you have to go there?" Ricky asked.

"Because all three of you deserved it for teasing me about Andy and I dating. Oh, and Rusty, do not say anything about winning that bet to Nicole yet. I'm not sure if Andy has talked to her about all of this," said Sharon

"Okay. I won't say anything. Just let me know when she knows so that I can finally gloat about how I was right and that she owes me twenty bucks," said Rusty.

"I'll be sure to let you know," Sharon said as she shook her head and began making her way back to her bedroom to grab her purse so that she could leave to go to Andy's house and pick him up for their date.

Meanwhile, Rusty, Ricky, and Emily ended their conversation shortly after that and Rusty promised to keep them informed if anything significant happened with their mother and Andy.

* * *

Meanwhile, it had now been about twenty minutes since Sharon had left her children to talk amongst themselves as she quickly grabbed her purse and left. She had just pulled up to Andy's house to pick him up. Sharon had told him to dress casual for their date today, but nothing else. She wanted it to be a complete surprise until she came over to pick him up on Saturday. So, as she got out of her car and began walking up towards Andy's house from the street, she grabbed her hat out of her purse and put it on. He had bought it for her when they had gone to a Dodger's game last September. Sharon knocked on Andy's front door and it only took a few seconds before he opened it.

When he saw her, or more specifically, what she was wearing on her head, he asked, "Are you serious? Are we really going to a Dodger game today?"

"Go grab your hat," Sharon replied as she smiled at him.

Before Sharon knew what was happening, Andy had grabbed her and spun her around on his front stoop before setting her back down and kissing her briefly before saying, "Have I ever told you that you're the best girlfriend ever?"

"No, but I could get used to hearing you call me your girlfriend, Sharon replied flirtatiously.

"Good because I plan on saying it a lot. Come in for a minute while I grab my hat. Then, we can go," Andy replied.

"Okay," Sharon replied as she stepped inside and into the living room before Andy disappeared to go grab his hat from his bedroom.

"So, I've got some things to talk to you about once we get in the car," Sharon told him.

"What?" Andy asked curiously as he reappeared in the living room with his Dodger hat on.

Sharon opened the front door and Andy closed and locked it behind him before they began making their way towards Sharon's car and she said," Just how I've apparently gone all wrong in raising my children," said Sharon jokingly as they arrived at her car and got in.

"I'm sure it's not that bad. They were raised by you after all," Andy told her as she started the car and began making her way towards the stadium.

It was then that Andy reached over and took her hand in his, much like they had on their previous date.

Sharon looked over at him for a second and smiled before saying, "Well, I guess it depends on your definition of bad. Anyways, suffice to say, Emily and Ricky now know that we're dating, thanks to Rusty. Not that that's a bad thing. I was just sort of hoping to tell them myself. Have you talked to Nicole and Brandon about us dating? " Sharon asked.

"Not yet. Nicole invited me over for dinner tomorrow night. Adam's grilling and Brandon's coming over. So, I was planning to pull them aside after dinner and talk to them about it then," Andy told her.

"Are you nervous about it?" Sharon asked.

"No. Nicole already likes you and when Brandon met you at the Nutcracker last year, he seemed okay with me bringing you and Rusty," Andy replied.

"Speaking of Nicole, Rusty, and the Nutcracker last year... I have something interesting to tell you about that," said Sharon.

"Am I right in being afraid to ask?" Andy asked her.

"Sort of. Though, I have to admit that in a way, I found the whole thing sort of amusing. Anyways, I found out today that when we all went to The Nutcracker last year, Rusty and Nicole made a bet," said Sharon.

"On what?" Andy asked confusedly.

"Well, apparently it was about how long it would take us to get together," Sharon said amusedly.

"Oh jeez! Is it bad if I ask who won?" Andy asked.

"No. Apparently, Rusty's prediction was closer than Nicole's. So, after you talk to Nicole and Brandon tomorrow, you might want to mention to her that she owes Rusty twenty bucks. I told him he wasn't allowed to talk to her about it yet because I wasn't sure if you had talked to her and Brandon about us yet," said Sharon.

"I might just have to do that. So, Rusty has a difficult time keeping a secret and is gambling about us with my daughter. What did Ricky and Emily do?" Andy asked.

"They were teasing me incessantly about you and I dating," Sharon replied.

"Well, I think that just comes with the territory in this situation. What were they teasing you about?" Andy asked.

"Apparently, I was blushing and smiling when I was talking to them about us," Sharon replied.

"Huh. Good to know. So, how did they react when you, or rather, Rusty told them?" Andy asked.

"They seemed to take it pretty well. Emily said that she was glad that I was dating again and that I deserved to be happy. Ricky said he was totally cool with it and that you're a great guy," Sharon said as she looked over at Andy for a second and smiled at him.

"So, I have the seal of approval from the Raydor children?" Andy asked her.

"Something like that," said Sharon as she chuckled at his choice of words.

* * *

About ten minutes later, they arrived at Dodger Stadium. After entering, they decided to try and beat the long concession lines and just get their food now. Andy, ever the gentleman, offered to pay for the food as Sharon had already paid for their tickets. Andy ended up getting a Veggie Dog, while Sharon ordered some nachos, and they each got frozen lemonade to drink as it was a warm July afternoon. After they got their food, they went to take their seats, which were located on the second deck behind home plate.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, the game started. The Dodgers were playing the San Francisco Giants in tonight's game. Andy sat in his seat with his arm around Sharon's shoulders.

He had just finished his veggie dog and she was about to finish the last of her nachos, when he said, "Come here. You've got a little something there on the edge of your mouth."

It was then that, instead of wiping the cheese off her face with a napkin, that Andy decided to kiss the corner of her mouth instead. Once he kissed the corner of her mouth, she put her hand on his cheek and shifted his face slightly so that his lips were now over hers as she began to deepen the kiss slightly. It was then that they heard the people around them cheering. They broke the kiss because they thought that the Dodgers had scored, but much to their surprise, that wasn't the reason for the crowds cheering. Andy and Sharon turned their faces towards the field and saw that their kiss was blown up on the Jumbotron for the kiss cam.

Suddenly, they both looked at each other in surprise, before Sharon said, "You better hope for your sake, that that didn't end up on TV. Otherwise-" said Sharon before Andy pulled his phone out after he had felt it vibrating in his pocket.

"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that's probably one of your children calling or texting you. You should probably answer it," said Sharon.

Andy smiled as he turned his phone around to show Sharon the text message from Nicole:

 _About damn time, Dad! Although, you might have mentioned it before you guys went and got yourselves captured on the kiss cam at Dodger Stadium. Tell Sharon I said congratulations!_

Right after she finished reading it, Sharon smiled and said, "Looks like you've got a couple more there."

Andy turned his phone back around as he looked to see who else had texted him. He opened the one from his son, Brandon first:

 _Hey Dad! Saw you on TV. Isn't that the woman you brought to the Nutcracker last year? Good job getting filmed kissing your boss on TV. Anyways, congrats!_

Andy smiled as he looked at Sharon and said, "Well I guess the cat's out of the bag now, at least where my kids are concerned," said Andy.

"How did Brandon react?" Sharon asked him.

"He's good with it. He thought it was funny that we ended up on the kiss cam," Andy replied.

Sharon smiled at him before he looked down when his phone vibrated yet again.

"Oh jeez! Umm…don't get upset, but according to Provenza, the whole team just saw it too," said Andy.

Sharon laughed at that.

"So, you think this is funny?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah. It's not like we were trying to end up on the kiss cam. Plus, it beats having to tell everyone. Now, probably just about everyone knows," Sharon replied.

"Yeah, I guess so. So, what about you? Any amusing messages?" Andy asked her.

"Let me check," Sharon replied as she went to grab her phone out of her purse.

After a minute, she began to laugh.

"Should I be scared?" Andy asked.

Sharon turned her phone around and showed him the text message from Hobbs:

 _Damn Sharon! Work should be interesting for you and Lieutenant Flynn on Monday. The whole PAB is going to be whistling every time one of you walks by them. Congrats!_

Andy chuckled after he finished reading the text.

"Oh, it gets better. Scroll to the next page and read the one from Gavin," Sharon told him.

Andy swiped across the screen to take him to Gavin's text message.

 _Way to go, honey! Jorge and I just saw you on TV getting caught on the kiss cam. Are my eyes deceiving me or is that Lieutenant Flynn?_

"Oh jeez! Well, I think it's safe to say that everyone we know has seen this and knows that we're dating now," said Andy as he handed Sharon back her phone and smiled at her.

"All the more reason to show you off," Sharon replied as she grinned at him.

"My thoughts exactly," said Andy as he pulled Sharon closer and leaned his head against hers as they turned their attention back to the game.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the game ended. The Dodgers won 10 to 4 over the Giants. They were currently on their way back to Andy's house. A few minutes later, Sharon pulled up in front of Andy's house and killed her car engine.

They were still holding hands when Andy asked, "Walk me to the door?"

Sharon nodded her head and smiled as she opened her door to get out of the car and they walked up to his front porch hand in hand.

Once they arrived in front of the door, Andy turned around and placed his hands on Sharon's hips, pulling her slightly towards him, before Sharon closed the space between them by wrapping arms around Andy's neck and pulling his head towards hers as they shared a lingering kiss.

A minute or two later, Andy broke the kiss as he said, "You're the best at planning dates, you know that?"

"Mmhmm. You're not so bad yourself. Plus, we got the unplanned bonus of ending up on the kiss cam," Sharon said as she chuckled.

"And that was only on our second date. We must not be too bad at this whole kissing thing," said Andy.

"Not too bad at all. In fact, I think we're both rather good at it," Sharon replied.

"I agree. There's always time to practice though, right?" Andy asked teasingly.

"Mmhmm. I fully support this whole practice idea of yours," Sharon replied as they once again locked lips, this kiss lasting a bit longer than the last, with Andy beginning to move away from her mouth and trailing feather light kisses from her cheek, to the corner of her chin, and then down her neck towards her collarbone.

She had just turned his attention back up to her lips, when the ring of a cell phone interrupted them and they broke apart slightly so that they both could check their phones.

It turned out to be Sharon's and she turned it around to reveal Provenza's name on her caller id as she looked at Andy and said, in reference to their previous kissing, "To be continued."

"He sure has impeccable timing, I'll give him that," said Andy before Sharon answered her phone.

"Lieutenant Provenza, what is it?" Sharon asked.

"I apologize if I'm interrupting anything, Captain, but we've got a murder," said Provenza.

"Where?" Sharon asked as Andy, realizing they had a case, unlocked and opened his door and signaled to Sharon that he'd be out in a minute.

"In Silver Lake. One victim, a Marcus Walker, late 30's to early 40's. Shot twice. Once in the leg and once in the chest, which I suspect was the cause for his departure. Patrol just picked up the wife. She's been notified and they're bringing her to the precinct now. I was going to send Julio back to wait for her arrival," said Provenza.

"Okay. Keep Sanchez there to help you with whatever you might need. Andy and I will head to the precinct now and wait for Mrs. Walker's arrival," said Sharon as she looked over and saw Andy coming out the door with a black LAPD polo shirt on over his t-shirt, dress shoes, as well as his gun and badge at his waist.

"Okay. We shouldn't be too much longer here, but let me know if you need me to send Sanchez back before that," said Provenza.

"Okay. Thank you Lieutenant. Please call me if anything of interest turns up," said Sharon.

"Will do, Captain. Bye," Provenza said quickly before they hung up.

Sharon began walking toward her car and Andy followed her. He became a bit confused when she popped the trunk.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"I always keep an extra blazer and a pair of heels in the trunk for occasions like this," she told him as she put on the blazer and momentarily sat on the edge of the trunk to take off her flats and slip on her pair of heels.

"You really do have a sense of occasion all of the time, don't you?" Andy asked.

"Pretty much," Sharon said as she smiled at him and he smiled right back before Sharon closed the trunk and they both got into the car.

It wasn't until they took off and began making their way towards the precinct, that Andy asked, "So, do I get to ask what's in the other bag in your trunk?"

"Oh, you know, just an unregistered gun, fake passports, and some stolen credit cards," said Sharon wryly.

"I think you've been hanging around me a little too much. My tendency towards sarcasm is starting to rub off on you," Andy replied.

Sharon looked over and smiled at him before she turned her attention back to the road and said, "Well, if you must know, it's just my gym clothes. Although, I thought the other story sounded a bit more interesting, didn't you?"

"Except that you're a faithful rule follower who would never be in possession of any of those things," Andy pointed out.

"Well, what if I was undercover?" Sharon asked teasingly.

"Seriously? We're two blocks away from the PAB and you choose now to use that reference?" Andy asked her.

"Not a bad way to end a date, huh?" Sharon asked playfully.

"I swear you're going to be the death of me, Sharon Raydor," Andy told her.

"I sure hope not, but either way you'll still like me," Sharon replied as she pulled into the PAB parking garage.

"Very true. That's one fact that I don't plan on ever escaping from," Andy replied seriously as Sharon killed the engine and put the car in park.

"Look who's getting all sentimental," Sharon told him as she looked down for a moment and then looked back up at him with slightly glassy eyes and said, "You are a sweet man, Andy Flynn. Now, before we have to go in there and be all professional, I'm going to kiss you for what you just said."

They both moved toward each other and kissed as Sharon put her hand on Andy's cheek and he did the same as their kiss lingered momentarily before they broke apart and got out of the car, now off to do the job that brought them both together in the first place. 

A/N: Feel free to leave me a review. I'm always open to constructive criticism. So, let me know whether you enjoyed reading this chapter or if you're enjoying reading the story so far.


	3. Moving Closer

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: There's an obvious time jump (about three months) in this chapter. I decided it might be a good idea for the flow of the story. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **Chapter 3: Moving Closer**

It had now been about three months since Sharon and Andy had started dating. It wasn't always easy to find time to go out on dates with the unpredictability of their work schedules, but they both agreed to make the effort to have at least one date a week, whether it was going out somewhere or enjoying a quiet night in at Andy's house or Sharon's condo. They were making it work and even Rusty had gotten used to the idea of Sharon and Andy dating and now just saw it as a normal thing that was happening.

Things were better than ever between Sharon and Andy. They enjoyed the time they got to spend together outside of work and tried to do so as often as work and life made it possible.

On this particular night, they had just wrapped up a particularly difficult case, especially for Sharon. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason, there were certain cases that affected her more than others, and Andy could see that this had been one of those particular instances for her.

So, he knocked on the door frame of her office, and when she looked up at him, he asked her, "You almost done here?"

"Yeah. Why? Did you have something particular in mind?" she asked as she smiled weakly at him, the toll of the case beginning to catch up with her.

"Well, if you're up for it, I was planning on asking if you'd like to come over and I'd cook you dinner," Andy replied.

"Mmhmm. Sound's amazing. What are you planning on cooking?" Sharon asked.

"Well…I know you love that pasta dish I make with the tomatoes and mushrooms and the garlic and basil sauce. So, if you want…" Andy trailed off.

"You read my mind, Andy Flynn. I'm in. Comfort food is just what I need after a day like today," Sharon replied.

"I know. Well, if I'm going to make that, I'm gonna have to swing by the store real quick and pick a few things up. So, why don't you take this and I'll meet you over at my place when I'm done. I shouldn't be too long," said Andy as he slid his house key across Sharon's desk.

"Okay. Are you leaving now?" Sharon asked him as she took the key.

"Yeah, in a minute," Andy replied.

"Okay. I'll walk out with you," said Sharon as she grabbed her bag and they walked out of her office and shut the door.

Andy grabbed his stuff and then they headed for the parking garage before parting ways in their separate cars.

* * *

Sharon arrived at Andy's house about fifteen minutes later. She made sure to text Rusty when she got there and let him know that she would be eating dinner over at Andy's house tonight and made sure that he had eaten.

After that, she slid her heels off and made herself comfortable on Andy's couch, knowing that he wouldn't be too much longer.

* * *

Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, Andy came walking through the front door with a couple of grocery bags in his hands which he dropped off on the counter as Sharon followed him into the kitchen. He began to unload them.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked him.

"Nope. I'm cooking you dinner, remember? What you can do though is take this back there into the bathroom and have a soak in the tub," said Andy as he pulled a bottle of Sharon's favorite lavender bubble bath out of one of the bags.

"Andy Flynn, you sure know how to make a woman feel special," Sharon told him.

"I do my best. Now, go relax in the tub and when you're done, dinner should be ready," said Andy as he smiled at her.

Sharon smiled back at him before kissing his lips briefly and then making her way towards Andy's bathroom.

* * *

About 30 minutes later, Sharon emerged from the bathroom. She had decided that changing into the workout clothes from her gym bag was a better alternative than staying in her work clothes and had grabbed the bag out of her car before getting into the tub. What she discovered after she got out though, was that she had somehow forgotten to put her workout shirt back in the bag after she had washed it the last time, which left her with just workout leggings and a sports bra. She thought about just putting the shirt that she had worn to work back on, when suddenly she came up with an even better idea.

As Andy heard Sharon walking towards the kitchen from the hallway, he said to her, "Dinner should be ready in a couple minutes."

"Okay," said Sharon as she made her way towards the kitchen, where Andy was busy working away on dinner.

As he heard Sharon walk towards him, he began to ask how her bath was before he stopped midsentence after seeing what she was wearing.

"I hope you don't mind. I forgot to put my shirt back in my bag after I washed it," said Sharon as she stood there in workout leggings and one of Andy's white button up dress shirts over her sports bra.

"No. I like it a lot better on you anyways," Andy managed to say as he smiled at Sharon and reached for her hand to pull her towards him as he kissed her.

The kiss lingered for more than a minute before Sharon broke the kiss and moved to check the pasta while glancing back at Andy and smiling at him.

Andy moved over to the stove, as Sharon moved towards the sink to drain the pasta in the colander. Once the pasta was drained, she handed it to Andy so that he could toss the pasta into a pan with the rest of the ingredients and the sauce. After that, he turned off the stove and tossed the pasta into a large bowl before they moved to sit down at the table.

They each scooped a helping of pasta into a bowl before Andy said, "Scoot closer and put your feet up here on my lap. I'll massage your feet while you eat."

Sharon scooted her chair closer to Andy and set her feet up on his lap, before saying, "Not that I don't appreciate this, but how are you supposed to eat and massage my feet at the same time?"

"Like this," Andy replied as he massaged her foot with one hand while twirling pasta onto his fork with the other hand before taking a bite.

Sharon looked at Andy and smiled at him over her bowl of pasta as she took another bite. They continued like that until they were both finished eating their pasta. Andy then began massaging both of Sharon's feet as she smiled lazily at him. A couple minutes later, Sharon put her feet down and got up out of her chair.

"What are you doing?" Andy asked mischievously.

"Moving closer to you," Sharon replied as she went to sit on his lap and began kissing him.

They sat there like that for a few minutes lazily making out before their kissing began to turn more passionate.

It wasn't long after that when they broke apart and Sharon said, "Maybe we should take this somewhere a bit more comfortable."

"What did you have in mind?" Andy asked.

"I was thinking your bed," Sharon replied.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to just because we're doing what we're doing right now," said Andy.

"Andy Flynn, I'm asking you to take me to bed and I'm asking because I want you to," Sharon replied.

That was all the confirmation Andy needed before they both stood up and began kissing passionately as they made their way down the hall towards Andy's bedroom.

Once they got there, they both began unbuttoning the others shirts until the back of Sharon's knees hit the end of the bed and she fell onto it laughing. Andy stood in front of Sharon staring at her for a moment, just admiring her as she sat there laughing in his half unbuttoned dress shirt before she said, "Not exactly the sexiest thing in the world, but it'll do."

"I disagree. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful sight in my life," Andy replied as he looked at her, put his hands on either side of her cheeks, and captured her lips with his as they made their way further onto the bed, both intent on showing each other just how much they cared about one another.

* * *

They ended up making love a few times that night. It was now around six a.m. Andy was the first to wake up. He smiled as he continued holding Sharon in his arms and marveled at the sight before him. He couldn't believe what had ended up transpiring last night and the thought of it made him smile even wider.

Since they both had to be at work in a couple of hours, and Andy didn't know if Sharon was planning on going home before that, he decided that now might be a good time to wake her up. So, he leaned towards her and began kissing her. First on the lips, then the edge of her jaw line, before he began making his way down her neck, towards her collar bone, and finally placed a kiss on her shoulder before she opened her eyes and said, "You better watch out, I could get used to waking up like that."

"And that would be a bad thing, how?" Andy asked her.

"It wouldn't be a bad thing at all," Sharon said as she leaned over to kiss Andy and said, "Good morning."

"It is a good morning, isn't it?" Andy asked.

"Definitely. Not a bad night, either," Sharon replied as she smiled at him.

"Not at all," Andy replied as he smiled back at her.

"What time is it?" Sharon asked.

"A little after six. I thought I'd wake you up. I wasn't sure if you were planning on going back to your place before work or not," said Andy.

"Huh. Well, I do have an extra set of work clothes in the trunk of my car, but I could go home to take a shower and do my hair," Sharon said.

"Or you could stay here and take a shower with me and forget about your hair. It's not like it ever looks bad or anything," said Andy.

"I doubt that, but you're sweet for saying it. Huh. Well, I might just be able to make that work. Plus, I wouldn't have to deal with the whole sneaking back into the condo thing," Sharon replied.

"He's going to know either way, Sharon. You came over here for dinner last night and you never came home. He can put two and two together. Hell, I'd be surprised if he hasn't already called Ricky and Emily and told them that you never came home last night. Like I said, Rusty's perceptive as hell," said Andy.

"Yes, to a fault sometimes. Well, I vote for putting that off as long as possible and going with your idea," Sharon told him.

"I knew you'd see it my way," Andy replied.

"Well, it's not like it took a lot of convincing," Sharon replied.

"No. Plus, it means we get to stay in bed a little longer," said Andy as he leaned over and kissed Sharon's lips.

A moment later, Sharon began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Andy asked her.

"I was just thinking about how this was so not my intention when I came over here last night, and yet somehow it just sort of organically happened, you know?" said Sharon.

"That's the best kind. When you're just sitting there with someone you really l-um someone you really care a lot about and you're just having a lazy night and then suddenly you feel this force drawing you towards that someone and you can't help but follow it wherever it takes you and that other person is feeling the same way and it just sort of happens. It's difficult to explain. I don't think I've ever felt that way before," said Andy.

"Me either. All I know is that I'm glad it happened and that whatever it was, it was electrifying," said Sharon as she continued smiling at Andy.

"Electrifying, huh? Well, since you're so good with words, tell me, what's another word for amazing? Cause amazing seems like such an understatement for what happened last night," said Andy.

"Incredible?" Sharon asked.

"Uh huh. What else?" Andy asked as he began kissing Sharon.

"Astonishing?" asked Sharon.

"Your beauty was definitely astonishing. Especially sitting there in my shirt," said Andy as he began kissing Sharon's neck.

"So, you liked that, huh?" Sharon asked.

"Uh huh," said Andy as he kissed Sharon's shoulder.

"Oh, I know. Mind-blowing," said Sharon.

"Ooh. A woman who's smart and confident…and also entirely right," said Andy as he smiled at Sharon.

"As much as I would like to lay here with you all day and continue this, we'd better get up before we end up being late for work," said Sharon as she got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, Andy right behind her.

* * *

After they finished showering, Sharon went in search of her clothes from the night before so she could go out to her car and grab her extra set of work clothes. She got most of them on, minus buttoning the shirt when Andy snuck up behind her.

"I think you had a plan when you put on that shirt last night," said Andy as he pulled one side of the shirt down slightly so he could kiss Sharon's now exposed shoulder.

"Maybe. I definitely wasn't expecting this kind of reaction though," said Sharon as she turned around in Andy's arms and kissed him for a moment before walking away and buttoning her shirt before going outside to get her work clothes from her car.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, both Sharon and Andy were dressed and ready for work.

"Do you wanna take your car or mine?" Andy asked Sharon.

"We can take mine. Who knows? Maybe I'll even decide to let you come over tonight after work," said Sharon as she smiled at him.

A/N: So, I'd like some input from you guys for the next chapter. Do you guys want to see a chapter about Andy coming over to the condo after they're done working that night (as alluded to at the end of this chapter) or would you guys rather I move on to something else in the story? Either way, I have some ideas. I just want to know where you guys would like the story to go next. As always, feedback is much appreciated!


	4. No Other Place I'd Rather Be

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: I know I said I was going to make this chapter the condo chapter, but I decided to push that chapter to Chapter 5 as I felt the need to inject the slightest bit of angst into this story and an anon reviewer gave me the idea to write about their first fight and how they make up. So, this is my take on that. This chapter takes place a couple weeks after the events of the last chapter. Prepare for a little angst and a lot of fluffy Shandy feels! 

**Chapter 4: No Other Place I'd Rather Be  
**

Sharon was furious with Andy. She had waited at the café for almost forty-five minutes before she paid for her coffee and left. They had made plans at the beginning of the week to have lunch early Sunday afternoon. They had discussed the time and where they were meeting, so Sharon didn't understand why he would stand her up like this. It wasn't like him to do that and it certainly wasn't like him not to call if he had to cancel a date. She had even tried calling him two or three times while she was waiting for him. Each time, she got no answer and then his phone would go to voicemail. She had left him a message and had even sent him a couple of texts, but got no reply.

In all honesty, Sharon didn't know whether to be mad at Andy or scared about what possibly could have prevented him from making it to the café for their date. What if he'd gotten into an accident on the way there and couldn't answer his phone? What if he got carjacked by somebody and was lying in the street shot somewhere in a pool of blood? It was these frightening scenarios flashing through her mind that led Sharon to get into her car and head to his house. She would start there and if she didn't find him there, she would start with all the possible routes he could've taken to the restaurant until she either found him or he finally called her back.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Sharon pulled up in front of Andy's craftsman bungalow. What she saw made her even more furious. Not only was Andy's car in the driveway, but there were also a few other cars there that she recognized as well. She was so mad, she decided not to even knock and used the key that Andy had given her a couple of weeks ago and told her to keep.

When Sharon opened the door, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was Andy, Provenza, Sanchez, Tao, and Buzz sitting on the couch watching football. With the surround sound on, nobody had heard Sharon open the door, but Andy was sure as hell going to know she was here. She chose that moment to loudly slam his front door.

Having heard the loud commotion, four out of the five of them went to reach for their guns before realizing that it was Sharon and leaving their guns holstered.

Andy looked at Sharon from across the room with a confused look, before Provenza said, "Flynn, you didn't tell us that the Captain would be coming over."

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. I'm not staying," said Sharon as she turned and gave Andy a pointed look before turning around to leave.

Andy Flynn was totally confused, but one thing he was not confused about was that Sharon was definitely pissed at him about something.

So, as she turned to leave, Andy followed her outside and said, "Sharon, wait!"

About halfway down the walkway to the street, Sharon turned around and waited for him to speak.

"Listen, I'm not sure what I did to upset you, but I can tell that you're pissed at me about something. So, can you please come over here so we can talk about it?" Andy asked.

As Sharon stormed back towards Andy, she said, "Sure, let's talk. How about we talk about the fact that you left me sitting alone at the café waiting for you for almost forty-five minutes? Or the fact that you couldn't bother to answer or pick up the phone and tell me you weren't going to be able to make it to our date today? Let's talk about that."

"Shit! Oh my god, Sharon. I'm so sorry. I know we talked about it earlier in the week, but I totally forgot. Damn! Listen, I can sit here and make all kinds of excuses, but I honestly just forgot and that's totally on me. Sharon, I am so sorry that I did that to you," said Andy apologetically.

It took Sharon a second before she regained her composure and spoke.

"It's alright. We should have talked about it later in the week. This week was really busy and I should have reconfirmed our plans for today. I just…" Sharon trailed off as a few tears began streaming down her face.

She swiped at them before looking at Andy and saying, "I'm sorry. I'm being stupid right now."

Andy grabbed Sharon's hand and pulled her towards him, as he wrapped his arms around her and said, "I can assure you that the last thing you're being right now is stupid. What brought those tears on though?" Andy asked her.

Sharon pulled out of his embrace and looked up at him before she asked, "Can we sit for a minute?"

"Sure," Andy said as he led her over to the front steps where they sat down and Andy put his arm around Sharon's shoulders waiting for her to speak.

"I guess I was crying because of the frustration and the fear of this afternoon," Sharon admitted.

"Fear? What are you talking about?" Andy asked her.

"When you didn't show up, I got scared. It's not like you to not call if you have to cancel. I started calling and texting you. I left you a voicemail and a couple of text messages," Sharon began.

"Crap! Sharon, I'm so sorry that I made you worry like that. I left my phone on the dresser when the guys showed up. I didn't even think…I'm so sorry," said Andy.

"It's okay. I shouldn't automatically jump to the worst possible conclusions," said Sharon.

"We're cops, Sharon. That's just how our minds work. We see some horrible things in our line of work and it's difficult not to bring that into our lives in situations like this. If you don't mind me asking, what kinds of things were going through your mind? That way I know how much groveling I need to do," said Andy.

"I thought you might have gotten into a serious car accident on the way there and that's why you weren't answering your phone. Either that, or you had gotten carjacked and were lying in the street shot somewhere in a pool of blood," Sharon told him.

"Jesus! I am such an ass. Here I am over here watching a football game. Meanwhile, you're sitting there worried sick that I'm lying on the side of the road somewhere seriously injured or worse. I am so sorry that I scared you like that," said Andy apologetically.

"It's fine, Andy. I'm just glad that you're not on the side of the road somewhere seriously injured or worse. I'd much rather have this be the outcome than the alternative," said Sharon.

"Still. I'm never letting that phone out of my sight again. Can I say something though?" Andy asked.

"Of course," Sharon replied.

"At the risk of sounding like a bit of an ass, I think it's really sweet that you were worried about me," said Andy.

Sharon just shook her head and smiled at Andy before saying, "Well, that's what I do for the people I really lo-oh to hell with it. I was going to say love and then I sort of stopped myself and then I realized that I don't really know what I'm waiting for before I say it. So, here it goes. I love you, Andy Flynn and you could've been injured or dead on the side of the road somewhere today and I might never have gotten the opportunity to tell you that, but that's not the reason I'm telling you I love you. I'm not sure how it happened, but somewhere along the way, you stole my heart. It could've been any time over the last three and half months that we've been dating or maybe it was even before that. All I know is that I love you and I'm not sure what I would do if I ever lost you and that is simultaneously the best and scariest feeling in the world. I've been hurt in the past and opening up my heart like this again is difficult and it scares me, but somehow with you, it's easy and I'm not that scared anymore because you're you and you're the man that I am in love with and I know that you love me too because…" Sharon trailed off.

"Because why?" Andy asked as he grinned at her.

"Because I heard you catch yourself a couple weeks ago when we were in bed talking the morning after we made love and I know the only reason you did that was because you didn't want to scare me off. Well, I'm here to tell you something, Andy Flynn. I'm not going anywhere," said Sharon.

Andy just sat there for a moment continuing to grin at Sharon, before he said, "Well, I'm fairly sure that I can't top that, but here it goes. You're right. I stopped myself and I'm not sure why. Maybe you're right and it was because I was afraid of scaring you off or that it was too soon, but I'll tell you something, Sharon Raydor, I don't give a damn if I say it now. I love you, Sharon Raydor. You were a pain in my ass when I first met you. Somewhere along the way though, you grew on me and we ended up becoming great friends who went to dinners and Dodger games and even a wedding together. All before we even officially started dating three and a half months ago. I'm not sure when the exact moment was, but somehow I ended up falling in love with my best friend and let me tell you, she's pretty great. She's smart and beautiful and confident. She makes me laugh and smile every day. She cares about what happens to other people and has a heart the size of California. Most of all though, I love her because she accepts me for who I am, flaws and all. Even when I'm a jerk and forget our date and make her worry that something terrible might have happened to me. Let me tell you though, she's stuck with me, because it's gonna take that something terrible happening before I ever leave her."

Sharon brought her hand up to her face and swiped away a couple of stray tears from her eyes.

"That good, huh?" Andy asked her.

Sharon chuckled as she leaned her head against Andy's shoulder and said, "More than good. I think you even topped my whole speech. Cause let's face it, I was rambling quite a bit there for a minute."

"I love your rambling," said Andy as he laid his head against Sharon's.

Sharon smiled at that and said, "So, not to ruin the moment or anything, but you wouldn't happen to have any yummy game day food in there, would you? Cause right now, that would make me love you even more. You see, I missed this little thing called lunch and now I'm super hungry."

"Let's go. If the guys haven't eaten it all by now, there should still be some good stuff in there, and if they have managed to eat it all, then I'll order a whole pizza just for you," said Andy as he stood up and extended his hand out to help Sharon up.

* * *

When Sharon and Andy came into the kitchen to inspect the food situation, most of the guys were so enthralled by the football game that they didn't even notice that the two of them had come back into the room.

Provenza noticed though and said to the guys, "Okay, now. Settle down. No more acting like complete nitwits. We are after all in the presence of the Captain. So, have some manners."

"Thank you for the announcement, Lieutenant. I just want to make one thing clear though, outside of work, you guys can call me Sharon. Otherwise, it's just weird," said Sharon.

"Alright," said Provenza as he turned his attention back to the game.

Back in the kitchen, Sharon and Andy were each fixing themselves a plate of food. There was still some pizza and wings left.

So, they each grabbed some of that before Andy asked her, "What do you want to drink? I've got water, lemonade, orange juice, soda, and I think one of the guys might have brought some beer."

"Lemonade sounds good," Sharon replied as Andy poured her a glass and handed it to her before pouring one for himself.

"Thanks," said Sharon.

"No problem," said Andy as they made their way over to the couch.

Luckily Andy had a huge sectional in his living room. So, there was more than enough space for everybody. Sharon and Andy were sitting on one end of the couch with Sharon sitting on the chaise, while Andy sat next to her.

After they were finished eating, Sharon curled up against Andy and whispered jokingly, "Really, Andy? The Patriots and the Cowboys? If you were gonna stand me up, you could have at least been watching the Packers."

Andy laughed at that and said, "Good to know. I'll have to remember that."

"What's so funny over there?" Provenza asked them.

"Sharon was just enlightening me about her taste in football," Andy told him.

"And what might that be?" Provenza asked.

"Green Bay all the way," said Sharon.

"You've got a good one there, Flynn. She could teach you a thing or two about taste in football," Provenza said to Andy.

"I agree," said Buzz as he leaned over and high fived Provenza.

"So, would one of you care to tell me who Andy's favorite team is?" Sharon asked.

"You mean, you don't know?" Tao asked her.

"Nope. We haven't gotten to football yet," said Sharon.

"Well, ma'am, I don't know how to tell you this, but Andy's favorite team is…uh, it's the Vikings," Sanchez told her.

"Hey! What happened to bro code, guys?" Andy asked the guys.

"I think bro code went out the window when you decided to bring your girlfriend into the middle of this three ring circus we call football Sunday," Provenza told him.

"Yeah. Remember when she shot that one guy right in the forehead with the bean bag gun? I was standing next to her when she shot him. I don't want any problems with her," Sanchez told Andy.

"You haven't even been in here 30 minutes and you're already bringing people over to the dark side?" Andy asked her.

"What can I say? People don't call me Darth Raydor for nothing," Sharon replied.

"You knew about that, ma'am?" Sanchez asked her.

"I know about a lot more than you guys think I do," Sharon replied.

"Looks like you're in trouble with this one, Andy," said Tao.

"There's no other place I'd rather be," Andy replied as he looked over and smiled at Sharon before pulling her closer to him.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the game. After the guys left, Sharon stayed and helped Andy clean up his kitchen.

Once they finished up, Andy came up behind Sharon and wrapped his arms around her waist before he asked, "Are you planning on staying tonight?"

Sharon turned and smiled at Andy before she said, "I wish I could, but I promised Ricky and Emily that Rusty and I would Skype them tonight. I should actually be going."

"Okay. Another night then. Here, I'll walk you out," said Andy.

Sharon gathered her purse and Andy opened the door. He closed it and they made their way towards Sharon's car. When they got there, Sharon leaned against the driver's side door and grabbed Andy's hand, pulling him towards her.

"Today was a great day, despite how it started," said Sharon.

"Yeah, it was," said Andy as he smiled at Sharon before kissing her.

After about a minute, Andy broke the kiss and said, "I love you, Sharon Raydor. Like you wouldn't believe."

"I think I have a pretty good idea. Especially after today…and this week…and last week...and pretty much every day since July," said Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

"Are you trying not to leave?" Andy asked her.

"Nope. Just giving you something to look forward to," Sharon replied.

"I told you on our first date and I'll say it again. You are such a tease," said Andy.

"Yeah, but you love me for it. I can say that now. Isn't it great?" Sharon asked him.

"It is great. And I love you for that and so much more," Andy told Sharon.

"I love you, too. I'll see you tomorrow," said Sharon before she kissed him for a moment and then opened up the door to her car to get in.

"I hope I didn't make you late for your Skype chat," said Andy.

"Are you kidding? I so budgeted time for this. I know how you can't keep your hands off of me," said Sharon teasingly as she smiled at him.

"You should go before I decide that I can't," Andy replied as he smiled at Sharon.

"Goodnight, Andy," said Sharon.

"Goodnight, Sharon. Text me when you get home so that I know you made it there safe. I promise to answer it this time," Andy told her.

"Okay. Bye," said Sharon.

"Bye," said Andy as Sharon started her car and drove off.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Sharon's condo, Ricky and Emily had decided to Skype a bit earlier than planned. Sharon wasn't home yet when Ricky and Emily called, so Rusty answered it instead. When he answered the Skype call, Ricky and Emily's faces popped up on the screen.

"Hey Rusty," said Emily.

Little brother, what's up! Where's mom at?" Ricky asked.

"Hey guys. Apparently still on her date with Andy cause she's not home yet," said Rusty.

Do we wanna know?" Ricky asked.

"Probably not. I've taken to assuming that she's over at Andy's place if she gets home late or isn't here in the morning. She'll usually text me at some point letting me know she's still alive or going to Andy's place," said Rusty.

"So, it's getting pretty serious then, huh?" Emily asked.

"I'd say so. She's been spending a lot of time with him and he's been coming over here a lot more lately. It's all good though. Andy's a good guy," said Rusty.

"Well, since things seem to be getting pretty serious, and I won't be home until Thanksgiving, I think you should grill him a little bit for us," Ricky told him.

"Seriously, Ricky? Mom's not stupid. She's not just going to date some loser. This is Andy we're talking about," said Emily.

"So? That's our mother that he's dating. I think we have a right to know what his intentions are. I agree that Andy's a good guy, but mom's been hurt enough by our so called father. I just want to make sure that she's happy and that his intentions are good," Ricky pointed out.

"Well, you can do that when you're here for Thanksgiving. Cause I'm sure as hell not going to do that. Unlike you, I still have to live here," said Rusty.

"Yeah. You're on your own with that one, Ricky. Hey Rusty, mom's still not there, is she?" Emily asked.

"Nope. Why?" Rusty asked.

"Neither of you say anything about this, but for once, I'm going to be able to make it home for Thanksgiving. I want to surprise her though. So, don't say a word. Got it?" Emily asked.

"Sure," said Ricky.

"When are you planning on coming in? I can pick you up if you need me to," said Rusty.

"Thanks Rusty. I'm flying into LAX around 11am on November 25th," said Emily.

"You wanna really surprise her, Emily? Cause I've got a great idea," said Rusty.

"Let's hear it, little bro," said Ricky.

"I'm gonna talk to Andy. I'll ask him to take mom out to lunch that day around noon. I'll bring Emily by and we'll hide her in Mom's office. Then, when mom gets back from lunch, surprise!" said Rusty.

"Rusty, you are a genius. This is so happening!" Emily replied.

"Mom's gonna freak out. Somebody better video this for me cause I'm not gonna be there until around four o'clock that afternoon," said Ricky.

"I'll see what I can come up with. Hey, hold on, I think Mom's home," said Rusty as he heard the key turning in the door.

Rusty turned the laptop around and a moment later, Sharon walked in the front door.

"Hi mom!" said Ricky and Emily in unison as they saw Sharon walk through the door.

Startled, Sharon put her hand over her heart for a moment before realizing that two of her children were talking to her via the laptop screen.

"Oh goodness! You guys scared the crap out of me. I thought you guys weren't calling until seven. It's only six forty-five right now," said Sharon.

"Well, we thought we'd call a little early and bug the little bro," said Ricky.

"So, how was your date, mom?" Emily asked mischievously.

"Yeah. I thought you and Andy were just going to lunch. How did that turn into a whole afternoon?" Rusty asked.

Sharon took off her shoes and moved to sit down in front of the computer before she said, "It's a long story, but if the three of you must know, I spent the afternoon at Andy's place," Sharon told them.

"Oh god, mom! Too much information!" Ricky exclaimed.

"Really, mom?!" Rusty asked.

"For your information, it's not what you think. I think the two of you need to go to confession more often if that's where your mind goes," Sharon told them jokingly.

"In their defense, my mind went there too. I was just tactful enough to keep it to myself," said Emily.

"Until, now," said Ricky.

"Children. If you must know, I spent the afternoon watching football with Andy and the guys," Sharon told them.

"Wait, I thought the two of you were going to lunch. How did that turn into hanging out with Andy and the guys from the squad watching football all afternoon?" Rusty asked.

"Andy got his dates mixed up. It ended up turning out fine though," said Sharon as a smile crept across her face.

"Apparently more than fine," said Emily.

"Okay, enough. What have the two of you been up to?" Sharon asked them.

Their conversation continued on for a little while longer. After they said their goodbyes, Sharon went to change into her pajamas and wash her face. When she was done, she checked her phone to see that she had a text message from Andy. She had sent him a text right before she unlocked her door letting him know she had made it home safely.

His message said:

 _Good. Hope you have a great talk with your kids. I love you, Sharon Raydor._

Sharon replied with:

 _I love you too, Andy Flynn. I did have a good talk with the kids. You were definitely a topic of conversation._

A minute later, Andy replied with:

 _All good things I hope._

Sharon quickly texted back:

 _Of course. They were prying for information, but I didn't tell them too much._

Andy replied:

 _They should know that prying doesn't work when their mom's a cop._

Sharon texted back:

 _I guess. They also know that they're three of my four weaknesses in life._

Andy quickly texted back:

 _Oh. And what would the fourth one be?_

Sharon smiled as she texted Andy back:

 _You._

Andy quickly replied:

 _Well, I'm damn lucky to even be on that list. How do you figure that happened?_

Sharon replied:

 _Just you being you._

Andy replied:

 _I'm sure my dashing good looks didn't hurt either._

Sharon laughed as she replied:

 _Nope. Goodnight, Andy. I love you._

Andy replied:

 _I love you, too. Goodnight, Sharon._

That night, both Sharon and Andy went to sleep with huge grins on their faces, excited for the future held for them. They knew that as long as they had each other, they could handle just about anything. 

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of the chapter by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading!


	5. Thinking of You

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter up! School has taken up a lot of my time these past few weeks. The good news is that I'm now done for the semester and I should have a lot more time to write. The idea to include the Adele songs in this chapter was inspired by a Tumblr post originally posted by fatima-xo and reblogged by captainbadassmarshmallowfluff wondering if Sharon Raydor listens to Adele, which I think is an awesome headcanon. Also, I had a reviewer ask what the acronym PAB meant. It means Police Administrative Building (aka the big building the Major Crimes team works out of). Hope you enjoy this chapter! 

**Chapter 5: Thinking of You**

Sharon and Andy had closed their latest case fairly early in the evening and had decided to spend a quiet night in at Sharon's condo. With Rusty still at the library studying, it left Sharon and Andy with the condo all to themselves. They had ordered in some Chinese and just as it arrived, Sharon came out into the living room in black leggings and a gray LAPD t-shirt. As Andy set the takeout containers on the coffee table in front of the couch, Sharon went to grab plates, forks, and two glasses of water out of the kitchen and brought them over to the table.

After they each got their food, Sharon sat down on the couch and settled her feet on Andy's lap. It had sort of become their thing when they were eating casually like this.

After Andy swallowed a bite of his food, he looked over at Sharon and asked, "Is that my shirt?"

"Mmhmm," Sharon hummed as she swallowed a bite of food.

Andy just smiled and shook his head at Sharon.

"I decided I wanted a memento from our night at your place last week," Sharon admitted.

"Oh really? This wouldn't have anything to do with your sense of occasion, would it?" Andy asked her.

"Oh, it definitely has everything to do with my sense of occasion," Sharon replied flirtatiously.

Andy smiled at Sharon again as he looked at her and said, "Well, I think it's a keeper. Much like someone else I know."

"Oh? And who would that be? Don't tell me you're messing around on me, Andy Flynn," Sharon joked.

"Nah. I'm a one gal kind of guy. Plus, I mean, when your girlfriend looks that good in your shirt, what other option is there?" Andy replied.

Sharon smiled back at Andy as she said, "Fair point."

They continued flirting while they ate. Once they were done, they set their plates on the coffee table and Andy began rubbing Sharon's feet. A minute later though, Sharon took her feet off of Andy's lap and jumped up off the couch.

"Sharon?" Andy questioned.

"I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you," Sharon said excitedly as she went over to the stereo and turned it on.

"As Sharon flipped through the songs on her iPod trying to find the one she was looking for, Andy came up behind her and put his arms around her as he asked, "A surprise, huh? This wouldn't have anything to do with your infamous dancing, would it? Cause I love your dancing," said Andy.

"No embarrassing dancing tonight. I heard this song the other day and I thought of you. Here it is," said Sharon as she hit play and the Adele song, _Remedy_ , began playing.

After the song began, Sharon turned around in Andy's arms and rested her hands lazily against the back of Andy's neck while Andy let his hands rest against Sharon's lower back as they began slow dancing to the music.

* * *

Meanwhile, just as the song had begun playing, Rusty opened the door and saw the sweet scene before him. Neither Sharon nor Andy noticed he was standing there, so Rusty decided to pull out his phone and record it until one of them noticed he was there. He'd send it to Ricky and Emily later and maybe Nicole too.

It turns out Sharon and Andy were so lost in the moment that neither of them saw Rusty standing there recording it on his phone. Once the song ended, Rusty decide to finally close the door to alert both of them to his presence. When they heard the door close, both Sharon and Andy looked up at Rusty.

"Hey, Rusty. How was your study group?" Sharon asked.

"Hey mom. Hi Andy. Umm…studying was productive. I'm starving though," said Rusty.

"Well, there's some leftover Chinese here on the table or you could grab some leftovers from the fridge," Sharon suggested.

"Yeah, I think I'll just grab something out of the fridge. I still need to finish up some homework before I go to sleep," said Rusty.

"Okay," Sharon said before she turned her attention back to Andy.

"I will be right back," Sharon told Andy as she began to walk down the hall towards the bathroom.

Andy decided to bring their dinner dishes into the kitchen while he waited for Sharon to return from the bathroom.

"Hey, Andy. Can I talk to you about something for a minute?" Rusty asked.

"Sure, shoot, "Andy replied.

"I was wondering if you could get mom out of the PAB for a while around noon on the 25th. You know, just take her out to lunch or something," said Rusty.

"Okay. You wanna tell me what this is all about?" Andy asked him.

Rusty peeked around the corner momentarily to make sure Sharon wasn't anywhere in earshot of their conversation.

"Emily and Ricky are both coming home for Thanksgiving this year. Ricky usually makes it, but Emily typically doesn't make it home until Christmas. Somehow, Emily's touring schedule is allowing her to make it home for Thanksgiving this year, but she wants to surprise mom. So, I'm picking her up from LAX around 11am on the 25th and I was thinking that if you could take mom out to lunch around noon, it would give us plenty of time to get there and surprise her when you guys got back," Rusty explained.

"Okay. I'll make it happen. Your mom's gonna be so excited when she finds out," Andy told him.

"You can't say anything to her though," Rusty told him.

"About what? I know nothing," said Andy sarcastically.

"Thanks, Andy," said Rusty.

"No problem. Anything to make your mom happy," Andy replied.

"Oh god. I don't know what to do with you two anymore. You're both just so cheesy when you're around each other," said Rusty as he finished heating up his food and made his way out of the kitchen as Sharon was coming back down the hallway towards the living room.

"You'll understand some day," said Andy as Rusty made his way down the hall towards his room.

"Yeah, but I'll never be that cheesy about it," Rusty replied as he shut the door to his room.

Sharon, confused about what was going on, gave Andy a puzzled look.

"He was talking about how cheesy we are when we're together and I told him that someday he'd understand and that was his response," Andy explained to her.

"Oh my goodness. We're not that cheesy, are we?" Sharon asked Andy as they both moved to sit on the couch.

"Even if we are, I don't care. Cause I love you, Sharon Raydor," said Andy as he leaned over and kissed her.

"I love you too, Andy Flynn," Sharon replied.

"Oh, and that song. Very us. Who sings it?" Andy asked.

"Adele. It's called _Remedy_ ," Sharon replied.

"Hmm…I'll have to remember that," Andy replied.

They sat there in silence holding each other for a moment before either of them spoke.

"So, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Sharon asked Andy.

"Well, Nicole and Brandon usually go over to their mom's house for Thanksgiving. So, I usually just hang out at home or sometimes Provenza and I will hang out," Andy replied.

"Well, I think you should come over and have Thanksgiving dinner with us. Ricky's going to be here for a few days. It was just gonna be the three of us, but I would love it if you came over," said Sharon.

"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude on your time with your kids," Andy replied.

"Don't be silly. It'll be great. Ricky and Rusty are both totally fine with you being in my life. Plus, you can help me cook. It'll be nice not to be the only one in the kitchen cooking all day," Sharon pointed out.

"Oh, I see how it is. You're using me for my expert cooking skills, aren't you?" Andy asked jokingly.

"Maybe. Regardless though, I'd love it if you spent the day with us. I'd hate to think that you'd be spending Thanksgiving alone," said Sharon.

"Okay, you sold me. I'll be here bright and early Thanksgiving morning," Andy told her.

"Good. That means my persuasive skills must still be pretty sharp," Sharon replied.

"Well, it's not like you had to twist my arm or anything," said Andy as he smiled at Sharon.

"Must be my charm, huh?" Sharon asked jokingly.

"Well, there is that. Plus, you're not a bad kisser…and then of course there's the small fact that you're my remedy and I'm yours. Oh, and also-" said Andy before Sharon stopped him by putting her fingers to his lips to silence him.

"Andy, I wanna kiss you right now…and I can't do that if you don't stop talking," Sharon pointed out before she leaned over and kissed him passionately.

They sat on the couch kissing for a few minutes before Sharon asked, "How about we show off some of those remedying skills right now?"

"Are you sure? Cause I usually don't stay here overnight and I wouldn't want to cause any problems," said Andy.

"Andy, do me a favor. Grab the iPod off the table over there and meet me in my bedroom. Then, I'll give you an answer," Sharon told him as she walked away from him and down the hall towards her bedroom.

Andy was in a daze for a moment as he watched Sharon walk down the hallway. He was a bit confused by her request, but followed the instructions nonetheless. He quickly grabbed the iPod off the table and made his way down the hall and into Sharon's bedroom.

Once Andy got there, he found Sharon waiting for him next to her dresser. He handed her the iPod and she connected it to her iHome speakers before selecting Adele's, _Lay Me Down_.

As it began playing, Sharon went over to her bedroom door to close and lock it before making her way back over to Andy as the song continued playing. A minute later, after the title lyric played, Sharon asked Andy, "Does that answer your question?"

Andy answered Sharon by flipping the lights off and kissing her slowly as they made their way towards Sharon's bed while the music continued playing in the background.

* * *

The next morning, Sharon was the first to wake up. She opened her eyes and looked over at Andy still asleep next to her. She momentarily debated whether or not to wake him up just yet, but quickly decided she wanted to spend as much time as possible with him on her Saturday off.

As Sharon leaned over and kissed him, she could feel Andy stirring slightly as he began reciprocating her kiss and his hand began to move up and down her side.

A moment later, Andy opened up his eyes as he looked over at Sharon and said, "Not a bad way to wake up."

"Definitely not," Sharon replied.

"What time is it? Cause we were up pretty late last night," said Andy.

"It's only about 7:30. Oh, and whose fault was it that we were up so late last night?" Sharon asked.

"I'd say it was mostly yours. You started it with those Adele songs and then there's the small fact that you're irresistible and I can't say no to kissing you…or touching you…or…" Andy trailed off before Sharon shut him up by kissing him.

"Okay, maybe it was a little bit my fault, but I didn't hear you complaining," Sharon pointed out.

"Oh, believe me. The last thing I was doing last night was complaining," said Andy as he began trailing kisses down Sharon's neck.

Sharon began to laugh before she said, "Well, regardless of whose fault it was, we should probably get up. You can get some coffee going and I'll make us some breakfast."

"Fine," said Andy as they both got up to get properly dressed.

Just as Sharon was about to unlock and open the door though, Andy came up behind her and whispered, "Usually, I would say that taking your clothes off is way better than you putting them back on, but right now I'm not so sure. I think it might be the shirt. Either that, or it's the woman in the shirt."

Just then, Sharon turned around in Andy's arms and kissed him before she said, "I think this whole shirt thing is rotting your brain."

"Only in the best way possible," Andy replied as Sharon unlocked and opened the door.

As they made their way into the kitchen, Sharon and Andy realized that they were the first ones up that morning.

Andy began making coffee while Sharon looked in the fridge and asked him, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Hmm…surprise me," said Andy as he went and got two mugs out of the cupboard and set them next to the coffee maker as the coffee began to brew.

Meanwhile, Sharon had decided to make omelets and had just finished making the first one when Andy came over and handed her a mug of coffee.

"Thank you," said Sharon as she leaned over to kiss Andy.

"My pleasure," Andy replied.

Sharon chuckled before she said, "Well, I guess I should be grateful that you said that here instead of in front of Chief Taylor again."

"I actually thought it was rather funny," said Andy.

"It was funny until we got caught," Sharon replied.

At that moment, Andy pulled Sharon towards him and kissed her. The kiss deepened slightly until they were interrupted by a voice behind them.

"Seriously? It's called a bedroom for a reason," said Rusty as he walked past them and grabbed a mug out of the cupboard before pouring himself some coffee.

Sharon blushed slightly before saying, "Good morning to you too, Rusty. Would you like some breakfast? I'm making omelets."

"Sure. Thanks. Just please try to refrain from making out while I'm sitting here," said Rusty.

"I can do that. What about you, Andy?" Sharon asked.

"I don't know..." said Andy jokingly.

"Oh my god! By the way Andy, aren't those the same clothes you had on when you came over here yesterday?" asked Rusty mockingly.

"Rusty…"Sharon warned as she continued making the second omelet.

Andy laughed before he said, "All I'm going to say is, don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."

"Fair enough," said Rusty.

Just then, Sharon brought Rusty's omelet over to the table and set it in front of him before going back over to the stove to start hers.

"Thanks, mom," said Rusty.

"You're welcome," Sharon replied.

"So Andy, what are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?" Rusty asked.

"Oddly enough, you're not the first person to ask me that," said Andy as he glanced over at Sharon.

"Andy's kids usually spend Thanksgiving at their mom's house. So, Andy's gonna spend Thanksgiving with us this year," Sharon explained to Rusty.

"Oh, cool. Although, I feel like I should warn you about something," said Rusty.

"What?" Andy asked.

"Ricky's planning to grill you a bit about your intentions when he's here for Thanksgiving. He tried to get me to do it, but I told him that unlike him, I still have to live here. Emily told him it was a stupid idea too and that mom was more than capable of handling herself," said Rusty.

"He seriously said that?" Sharon asked Rusty as she sat down at the table with her omelet.

"Yeah," Rusty replied.

"Well, it sounds like Richard and I are going to be having a conversation later on today," said Sharon.

"Sharon, don't. It's fine. I completely understand where he's coming from. He's probably just worried about you, that's all. Hell, I'd probably do the same thing if I was in his position," said Andy.

"Andy's right, mom. That's literally all it is. He knows Andy's a good guy. He just knows how you've been hurt in the past and wants to make sure you're happy and that Andy's intentions are good," said Rusty.

"Sharon, you really don't have to say anything to him about it. I totally respect what he's doing. He's just looking out for you, that's all," said Andy.

"Okay," Sharon replied.

* * *

That afternoon, after Andy had gone home, Sharon decided to give Andy's daughter, Nicole, a call. She had an idea about how to surprise Andy and she wanted to run it by Nicole first to see if she was okay with it.

Nicole's phone rang a couple of times before she picked it up.

"Hello?" Nicole asked.

"Hi, Nicole. It's Sharon," said Sharon.

"Hey Sharon! How are you?" Nicole asked her.

"I'm doing good. How about you?" Sharon asked.

"Oh, you know, busy. Busy, but good," Nicole replied.

"Do you have a minute? I'd like to run something past you," said Sharon.

"Sure. What's up?" Nicole asked.

"Well, I know you and your brother are going over to your mom's house for Thanksgiving, but I was wondering if you guys would want to come over here afterwards for coffee. Your dad will be here and Rusty and my other son Ricky will be here too. Feel free to bring Adam and the boys too," said Sharon.

"Sure. That sounds great! We should be done at moms around six or so. How about we come over around seven?" Nicole asked.

"That'd be great. Oh, and please don't say anything to your dad about this. He doesn't know anything about this," said Sharon.

"Oh, I see. So, you're planning to surprise him with this?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah. I thought it'd be a nice way to surprise him," Sharon replied.

"Okay. I'm in. Do you want me to talk to Brandon about this or would you rather talk to him?" Nicole asked Sharon.

"If you want to give me his number, I can call him," Sharon replied.

"Okay. His number is 310-451-5268. He usually gets off work around 5pm. So, the evening hours are probably the best time to reach him," said Nicole.

"Okay. Thanks Nicole. I'm glad you guys are gonna be able to make it. I'm looking forward to it," said Sharon.

"Me too. We'll see you next Thursday around 7pm," said Nicole.

"Okay. Bye, Nicole," said Sharon.

"Bye, Sharon," said Nicole as they both hung up.

* * *

That night, Sharon called Brandon and he also agreed to be there Thanksgiving night.

After Sharon hung up the phone, she smiled to herself. This was going to be a great Thanksgiving! The only thing that would have made it even better is if Emily had been able to make it. 

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for staying with me through the lack of updating over the last few weeks and thanks for reading!


	6. Amazing

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: This is part one of two Thanksgiving chapters. Just this part was starting to get a bit long, so I figured I should probably split it into two separate chapters. Hope you enjoy the chapter! 

**Chapter 6: Amazing**

It was the day before Thanksgiving and it was a typical day in the Major Crimes Unit. The team was currently between cases which gave Andy the perfect opportunity to put his plan into action. He got up from his desk and went to knock on Sharon's office door.

"Come in," said Sharon.

Andy opened the door and walked over to Sharon's desk, where she was currently working on paperwork.

"Is that something that absolutely can't wait an hour?" Andy asked her.

"No. As long as I get it in by the end of the day. Why?" Sharon asked curiously.

"Well, I was thinking that since neither of us has eaten yet, that we both might go up the street and have lunch together," Andy suggested.

"What? Like a date?" Sharon asked him.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it a date," Andy replied.

"Hmm…I think this is a fantastic idea. Why haven't we ever thought of doing this before?" Sharon asked.

I don't know," Andy replied.

"Okay. Let me get my bag and then we'll get out of here," said Sharon.

* * *

Around noon, Rusty received a text from Andy.

As Rusty was driving, he said to Emily, "Would you mind checking that for me? It's probably Andy."

Emily picked up Rusty's phone and read over the text message from Andy before she said, "Yep. He said that he got mom out of the PAB and that they're up the street at a restaurant eating lunch. He said he'll text you when they're getting ready to come back."

"Cool. We're almost there. So, that should give us plenty of time," Rusty replied.

"Oh my gosh! Mom's gonna freak out," said Emily.

"Freak out is an understatement, don't you think? I mean, she freaks out when you guys show up and she knows that you're coming to visit. Imagine how she's gonna react when it's a complete surprise," said Rusty.

"This is gonna be so great!" Emily exclaimed.

* * *

About ten minutes later, the elevator doors opened and both Emily and Rusty stepped off the elevator and walked towards the murder room. Once they arrived, Provenza looked at Rusty and gave him a confused look.

"It's a surprise, okay. Mom doesn't know anything about it. That's why Andy just took her to lunch," Rusty explained.

"So, that lovesick idiot is in on it and he didn't tell me?" Provenza asked.

"Basically, yeah. If it makes you feel any better, I asked him not to tell anybody. I didn't want the surprise to be ruined," said Rusty.

"Fair point. Forgive my manners. Hello, Emily. It's nice to see you again," said Provenza.

"Thanks, Provenza. You too," said Emily.

Rusty and Emily continued talking with the team for another forty minutes or so before Rusty got a text from Andy saying that they'd be back at the PAB in five minutes.

"Okay, I want everyone to act normal. We'll be in her office. Andy will take it from there," Rusty announced to the team.

Everyone took a seat at their desks and tried to look as normal as possible. Rusty and Emily went into Sharon's office and closed the door. Rusty opened the blinds so that Andy would be able to point out that Rusty was waiting for Sharon in her office when they got back. Meanwhile, Emily sunk into the chair behind Sharon's desk and turned it towards the window so as not to be noticed. Rusty got his camera ready so that he could record the whole thing and send it Ricky. In the meantime, Rusty tried to make it look like he was simply looking at his phone while he waited.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sharon and Andy enter the murder room, and quickly propped up his phone and hit record before he said to Emily, "It's showtime."

* * *

Once they entered the murder room, Andy said to Sharon, "Hey, Sharon. Why is Rusty in your office?"

"I don't know. I hope nothing's wrong," said Sharon as she walked towards her office.

Andy waited until she opened the door before he began walking towards her.

"Rusty, is everything alright? Did something happen?" Sharon asked worriedly.

"No, everything's okay mom. More than okay, actually," said Rusty as he smiled at her.

"What are you talking about?" Sharon asked confusedly.

Suddenly, Sharon noticed her chair turn around as Emily said, "He means me. Surprise!"

"Oh my god! I thought you said you weren't gonna be able to come home until Christmas!" Sharon exclaimed as she ran over and hugged her daughter.

"Well, that's usually the case, but this year I may have told a tiny white lie so that I'd be able to surprise you. Believe me though, I did have a little help," said Emily as she looked at Rusty.

"You knew?" Sharon asked Rusty.

"Yeah, we sort of planned this together. Emily wanted to surprise you and I may have encouraged her to go big or go home in terms of surprising you," said Rusty as he walked towards them.

Sharon grabbed both Emily and Rusty and enveloped them in a hug.

"Well, I am definitely pleasantly surprised to say the least. Wait though…how did you know I wouldn't be here when you got here?" Sharon asked them before turning around to see Andy standing in the doorway.

Sharon walked over to Andy and smiled at him before she said, "You knew."

Andy smiled back at her as he said, "Yeah, for about a week now. I knew you'd be ecstatic, so I went along with this little plan of theirs."

"Just one of the many reasons why I love you," said Sharon as she reached up to quickly kiss his lips.

"I love you too," said Andy.

Meanwhile, having heard them, Emily asked Rusty, "Hey Rusty, you wanna fill me in on anything?"

"What are you talking about?" Rusty asked her.

"Did you not hear what they just said?" Emily asked him.

"Not really, why?" asked Rusty.

"They just said I love you to each other!" Emily exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh. I guess I hadn't really noticed," Rusty replied.

"Goodness. So, when did this whole I love you business start?" Emily asked as she smiled at both Sharon and Andy.

"Umm…I guess about a month or so ago," Sharon replied as she looked over and smiled at Andy.

Meanwhile, Rusty made his way over to the table and turned the camera off as he quickly sent the video to Ricky before rejoining the group.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so happy for you, mom! Both of you, actually. See Rusty! Ricky has absolutely nothing to worry about," said Emily.

"I tried to tell him that. He's still insisting on the whole overprotective son bit though. Mom would've called Ricky and lost it on him if it wasn't for Andy," Rusty told her.

"It's not really a big deal. Like I told your mother, I completely understand where Ricky's coming from on this and I am more than willing to answer any questions he may have regarding my intentions," Andy replied.

"Still. Please forgive my brother if he decides to act like a huge jerk," said Emily.

"Okay. Andy and I have to get back to work and the two of you should probably get back to the condo before Ricky gets there. I will call you when I'm about to leave. Do the two of you have dinner handled?" Sharon asked.

"Of course, mom. You're gonna be cooking a lot tomorrow. We'll handle dinner tonight," Emily replied.

"Thank you. I'm so glad that you're here," said Sharon as she hugged Emily.

"Come on, Emily. Let's get home before Ricky raids the fridge and there's nothing left for dinner," said Rusty.

"Okay. Bye, Mom. Bye, Andy," said Emily as Rusty dragged her out the door.

"Bye," both Sharon and Andy replied.

"We'll see you later," said Rusty as he was walking away from Sharon's office.

* * *

Ricky arrived at the condo as expected around 4 pm.

The three siblings were now sitting around the living room talking when Emily asked, "So, what are we gonna do about dinner?"

"We should honestly just order something in. It's easier. Plus, there's going to be enough cooking going on tomorrow," Ricky replied.

"Not by you. Thank god," said Emily.

"Well, whatever we order, we should order enough for five people," said Rusty.

"Five? But there's only four of us," Ricky replied.

"Yeah, but something tells me mom will probably bring Andy. He's been spending a lot of time here lately," Rusty explained.

"How much time?" Ricky asked.

"Well, he's usually over here at least two or three nights a week after work," Rusty replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the PAB, Sharon was just finishing up the last of her paperwork for the day. When she was done, she stood up and grabbed her bag before making her way over to Andy's desk.

She stood next to him as she leaned against the desk and asked, "Almost done?"

"Yeah. I can finish the last of these later," Andy replied as he looked over at Sharon.

"Good, because I have an excellent idea," said Sharon.

"And what would that be?" Andy asked curiously.

"I say that you follow me back to my place and join us for dinner," Sharon suggested.

"Are you sure? I'm already going to be there tomorrow and I don't want to bombard them with my presence. Us dating is still fairly new for them," said Andy.

"I'm positive. Come on, it'll be fine," said Sharon.

"Okay, let's go," Andy told her as he got up from his desk and they made their way towards the elevator.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Sharon and Andy arrived at Sharon's condo. Once they made it to her condo, Sharon unlocked and opened the door before she spotted Ricky and ran over to hug him.

"Hi mom," said Ricky as he hugged her back.

"I'm so glad you're here," said Sharon as she let go of him.

"Me too. Hey, Andy," said Ricky as the two men shook hands.

"Hey, Ricky. How's it going?" Andy asked him.

"Pretty good. I can't complain. How about you?" Ricky asked.

"My life's pretty great at the moment. Your mom deserves quite a bit of credit for that," Andy replied as he looked over and smiled at Sharon.

"So, what did you guys end up doing about dinner?" Sharon asked her three children.

"We ended up ordering a few pizzas. They just got here a few minutes ago," said Rusty as he went to grab plates while Emily grabbed cups for everyone.

* * *

After everyone was finished eating, Sharon grabbed everyone's plates and went into the kitchen with Emily following behind her with everyone's empty glasses to be put in the dishwasher. This left just Rusty, Ricky, and Andy sitting at the table.

"Hey, Andy. Do you think we could go out on the balcony and talk for a minute?" Ricky asked.

"Sure," Andy replied as he got up and they headed outside onto the balcony.

Once outside, they each settled into a chair. Ricky was the first to speak.

"Listen, I'm not out here to bust your chops or anything. From what I've seen so far, you seem like a good guy and mom is the happiest I think I've ever seen her, but I hope you understand where I'm coming from when I ask what your intentions are," said Ricky.

"No, I totally get it. That's your mom and you're just looking out for her. She's been hurt a lot in the past and I understand you wanting to watch out for her and make sure nobody hurts her like that again. She didn't deserve that kind of treatment then and she sure as hell doesn't deserve it now, or ever for that matter. As for my intentions, I know that I love your mother very much, and while currently, I think we're both pretty comfortable just dating and being a couple, at some point down the line, I would love it if she agreed to become my wife. So, if you're asking whether I'm in this for the long haul, then the answer is yes," Andy replied.

"Thank you. For understanding my need to question your intentions and for loving my mother and treating her like she deserves to be treated. For the majority of my life, or at least the parts he was actually there for, I saw my father treat my mother like crap. She always tried to shield us and protect us from that side of things, but we knew. It always baffled me, but no matter how much he hurt her, she never once badmouthed him in front of us," said Ricky.

"That's just the kind of woman your mother is, Ricky. No matter what your father has done to hurt her over the years, she still wants you and Emily to have some sort of relationship with him. He may have hurt her tremendously over the years, but she still holds out hope that someday he might just become the father that the two of you deserve. Hell of a woman if you ask me," said Andy.

"Yeah, I guess she's pretty awesome, huh? She seems really happy with you and I'm grateful for that. Between what little she tells me and what I hear from Rusty, you seem to make her very happy," Ricky replied.

"Well, the feeling is mutual. You're mom is an incredible woman and I count myself lucky that I'm even remotely in her league, much less that she somehow agreed to date me," Andy replied.

"Don't kid yourself. You're a good guy, Andy. Even from what little I've seen so far, I can tell that that's true. Speaking of that, I should probably tell you that Rusty has been sending Emily and me intel on you and mom," said Ricky.

"Oh jeez! How scared should I be?" Andy asked him.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad. The majority of it's pretty positive, actually. In fact, you should probably know that he sent me a video last week," said Ricky.

"Of what?" Andy asked.

"Here," said Ricky as he opened the video and handed his phone to Andy as the video began to play of Sharon and Andy dancing to Adele's _Remedy_.

Andy smiled as he watched the video play.

"Did you know he was recording this?" Ricky asked.

"I had no idea. Although, it sort of makes sense now that I think about it. He must have gotten back sooner than we realized. Do you mind if I send this to myself? I'd like to have a copy of it," said Andy.

"Sure, go ahead," Ricky replied.

Andy quickly sent a copy of the video to his own phone before handing Ricky back his phone.

"Well, we better get back in there before they think I threw you over the railing," said Ricky.

"Don't worry. Rusty warned me about your intended grilling session," Andy told him.

"That little shit," said Ricky as he opened the door to reenter the condo.

Andy laughed at that as he followed Ricky back inside.

"Hey, little brother. You wanna to fill me in on why you decided to warn Andy about my interrogation?" Ricky asked Rusty.

"Well, for one, I didn't want him to be completely blindsided by the whole thing. Then, of course there's the small fact that when mom found out what you were planning to do, she lost her shit and almost called to chew you out. So, really, you should be thanking me and Andy for saving you from that lecture," Rusty replied.

"First of all, I wasn't going to lecture him. Secondly, it must have not gone half bad, judging by the way the two of them walked in just now," Sharon told Rusty as she walked into the living room from the kitchen and put her arm around Andy's waist.

"Yeah, I elected to let him stay around instead of tossing him over the balcony. Murder's a messy business. Plus, I'd rather spend Thanksgiving eating a bunch of food here with all of you than sitting in a jail cell," Ricky joked.

"He gets that from you, you know," Andy pointed out to Sharon.

"And why do you say that?" Sharon asked him.

Remember what you said at the end of our second date?" Andy asked her.

"Really, Andy? I was kidding when I said that," Sharon replied.

"I know. So was he. Plus, I've got at least forty pounds on him," Andy pointed out.

"Okay, now I have to hear this second date story," said Emily.

"Do you wanna tell them or should I?" Andy asked as he looked over at Sharon and smiled at her.

"Okay, so it was towards the end of our second date. Lieutenant Provenza ended up calling me to let me know that we'd caught a case. While I was on the phone with Provenza getting the specifics, Andy went inside to change real quick and grab his gun and badge. Anyways, right before we were getting ready to leave, I popped the trunk to grab my extra blazer and change into a pair of heels. So, we get into the car and I start driving towards the PAB when Andy asks me what I keep in the other bag that was in my trunk. So, I decided to be a bit sarcastic and told him that there was an unregistered gun, fake passports, and some stolen credit cards in the bag. He knew I was kidding and of course didn't believe me, but it was funny," Sharon explained.

"Oh, that was the time you guys went to the Dodger's game, wasn't it?" Rusty asked.

"Yes," replied Andy as he smirked at Sharon.

* * *

Later that night, the three siblings were playing Uno with Andy. Sharon had been sitting at the table watching them, but Andy noticed that she had excused herself and was now standing out on the balcony.

"Okay. I'm out guys," Andy told them.

"What? No…" they all said as Andy made his way into the kitchen.

He grabbed a mug, filled it with water, and then reached in the cabinet above the Keurig to grab a pod of Sharon's favorite tea before sticking it in the Keurig to brew. In the meantime, he poured himself a glass of water and waited for the tea to finish brewing.

Once it was done, he grabbed the mug and made his way out onto the balcony and walked towards Sharon. He wrapped his free arm around her waist from behind as he presented the mug of tea to her with his other hand.

"Mmhmm. Thank you," said Sharon as she gladly took the mug from him.

"No problem. I thought you could use some," Andy replied.

Sharon smiled widely at him before she said, "Sounds like things were going pretty well in there."

"Uh huh. You've got great kids, Sharon. You did that, you know," said Andy.

"What?" Sharon asked him.

"It's easy to see that you're the reason they all turned out so great. They have you to thank for that," Andy replied as he kissed the side of Sharon's forehead.

"I just did what I was supposed to do. I loved them and tried to guide them as best as I could. They did the rest," Sharon replied.

Andy smiled at her before he said, "All I'm trying to say is that you're amazing. I hope you know that."

"I do know that. Especially when I have this amazing man in my life that never stops reminding me just how amazing I am," Sharon replied.

"I'm just speaking the truth. Speaking of amazing things, I've got something to show you," said Andy as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Andy sat in one of the chairs on the balcony as Sharon followed him and sat on his lap as he snaked his arm around her waist and began playing the video Ricky had showed him earlier.

"Oh my god! Did you record this?" Sharon asked him.

"Nope," Andy replied.

Sharon thought about it for a moment before she asked, "It was Rusty, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. He must have got back from the library sooner than we realized," Andy replied.

"So, he sent it to you?" Sharon asked him.

"No. I guess after he filmed it, he sent it to Ricky and I'm guessing Emily too," Andy replied.

"This is amazing," said Sharon as she leaned her head against Andy's.

"Yeah, it is," Andy replied.

"In fact, this whole night has been amazing. You know what would make it even better than it already is though?" Sharon asked.

"What?" Andy asked her.

"If you stayed the night," Sharon replied.

"Sharon…" Andy trailed off.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't ask if I thought it would make any of them uncomfortable. It'll be fine. Plus, it means you won't have to wake up early to drive over here in the morning," said Sharon.

Andy smirked at her before he said, "You're lucky I took a page out of your book and packed a change of clothes in my trunk after I spent the night last week. Otherwise, you're plan might have been slightly flawed."

"Well, I'm glad to see that my sense of occasion is starting to rub off on you. So, does this mean you're staying?" Sharon asked him.

"Yeah," Andy replied as he briefly kissed her lips.

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside Emily, Ricky, and Rusty had just finished another round of Uno, when Emily looked up and saw her mom and Andy cuddling in a chair out on the balcony.

She smiled to herself before she said to Ricky, "Well, if that doesn't convince you, then I don't know what will."

"What are you talking about?" Ricky asked her.

Emily motioned towards the balcony, as both Ricky and Rusty looked in that general direction.

"It's not that I wasn't convinced, Emily. I just needed to gauge the situation myself and make sure I was confident that he'd never hurt her. Our father did enough of that over the years. Mom shouldn't ever have to go through that again," Ricky told her.

"I agree. Dad treated her like shit and she didn't deserve that. I'm just glad that she's with someone who seems to treat her right and makes her happy," Emily replied.

"So, are you convinced now?" Rusty asked Ricky.

"Definitely. I have every confidence that he'll treat her right and that they'll both be very happy together," said Ricky as he moved to put the cards away and call it a night.

"Looks like I'm crashing on an air mattress on your floor, little brother," Ricky told Rusty.

"Cool. I'll go help you set it up. We'll let Emily have first dibs on the bathroom," Rusty told him as he stood up from the table.

"You might live to regret that, but okay," said Ricky as he followed Rusty down the hallway to set up his bed for the night.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," said Emily as she followed closely behind them on her way to the bathroom.

"You forget that I grew up with you," Ricky replied.

"Whatever," said Emily as she rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

* * *

"The coast is clear. Are you ready to go to bed?" Sharon asked Andy.

"Yeah. Let's go," said Andy as they made their way inside and he locked the door going out onto the balcony while Sharon made sure the front door was locked.

As they were walking down the hall, Andy said to her, "Well, I know I have at least have a t-shirt here, as for pants though…" Andy trailed off as they made their way into Sharon's bedroom and closed the door.

"I may have snagged a pair of sweats from your dresser late last week when I stayed over," Sharon told him.

"I don't know whether to be scared or grateful," said Andy jokingly.

"Well, I figured you being in yesterday's clothes the next morning is just as much a dead giveaway as you walking into the kitchen in your pajamas. So, you might as well be comfortable," Sharon replied.

"I love you and your sense of occasion," said Andy as he pulled Sharon towards him and kissed her.

"Well, I love you and the fact that you're so understanding when it comes to a certain child of mine questioning your intentions," said Sharon.

Andy smiled at her before he said, "Come on. Let's get ready for bed."

That night, as Sharon and Andy drifted off to sleep together, they both had the biggest smiles on their faces. Him because he had this amazing woman in his life and in his arms and her for a couple of different reasons. One, because this amazing man seemed to be getting along so great with her children, and two, because she still had a surprise in store for him the following evening. One that she knew he was sure to love.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. The next chapter should hopefully be up sometime next week! Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	7. Gratitude

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: So, I realized that I made a huge goof. I didn't think the name of Nicole's husband had been mentioned on the show, so I made up a name and had been referencing him as Adam. Well, it turns out in 3x13, Nicole mentions that her husband's name is Dean. It was honestly difficult to tell whether she said he or Dean from the YouTube clip, but I ended up playing the scene with the subtitles on the DVD just to be sure of what she said and she does in fact say his name is Dean. So, from this point forward, the guy I've been mentioning as Adam will now be known by the right name, Dean. Hope this doesn't throw people off too much. I'm so sorry for the goof. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

 **Chapter 7: Gratitude**

The next morning, Sharon woke up fairly early. She wanted to make breakfast before it was time to start cooking all of the food for Thanksgiving. She opted to let Andy sleep a little longer and quietly slipped out of her bedroom and down the hallway before making her way to the kitchen. She began getting all the ingredients out to make pancakes and went about making breakfast for everyone. It wasn't too long after she began that Emily walked into the kitchen.

"Morning, mom," said Emily.

"Good morning. I was trying to be quiet. Sorry if I woke you up," Sharon told her.

"No, it's okay. It was the smell that woke me up actually. Those pancakes smell amazing," said Emily as she went to grab a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Well, since you're the first one up, you get the freshest ones. Here," said Sharon as she handed Emily a plate with two pancakes on it.

"Thanks, mom," said Emily.

"You're welcome," Sharon replied.

Emily poured syrup over her pancakes and grabbed a fork before leaning against the counter as she began eating.

"So, it seems like you and Andy are pretty happy," Emily commented.

"We are. Very happy. You know, I was a little scared at first, making the jump from being just friends to dating, but it was surprisingly a fairly easy transition to make," Sharon replied as she smiled at Emily.

"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt that you guys were basically dating for a year before that," said Emily.

"Emily…" Sharon trailed off warningly.

"What? It's true. Believe me, Rusty kept us well informed. I think it's cute, actually," Emily replied.

"What?" Sharon asked.

"That you guys were basically dating a whole year before actually dating and neither one of you really realized it until shortly before it happened," Emily replied.

"I wouldn't necessarily say that neither of us realized it," said Sharon.

"What she would say though is that I noticed it before she did. And she would be right. It turned into a bit of an awkward situation actually," said Andy as he walked into the kitchen and put his arm around Sharon's shoulders.

"Oh, do tell," Emily replied.

Andy looked over at Sharon for confirmation before he turned to Emily and said, "Well, last Christmas, I invited your mom and Rusty to go to The Nutcracker with me, my daughter, her family, and my son. The awkward part was that somehow, when I had taken your mom with me to my daughter, Nicole's wedding the year before, some people in my family got the impression that we were dating," said Andy.

"I wonder where they got that idea," said Emily as she looked over and smiled at Sharon for a moment.

"So, when it got around to last Christmas, my family wanted me to bring your mom along because they thought we were dating. Which we weren't. So, I eventually ended up asking your mom and Rusty to go because I didn't know what else to do," said Andy.

"And also because in the back of your mind, you were wishing it was true," Sharon interjected.

"I never would've admitted to that before, but there's a strong possibility that you're right about that," Andy said to Sharon.

Sharon smiled at Andy before she looked back over at Emily and said, "So, Andy and Nicole come over for dinner that night. Mostly so Andy can clear up any confusion about us dating."

"Except when it came time to tell Nicole the truth, I sort of tripped over my words and your mother had to step in and tell her the truth," Andy continued.

"And then your brother picked what I thought was an excellent time to interject and save all of us. Except, instead of saving us he decided to add fuel to the fire by pointing out certain social situations that Andy and I had experienced together over the past year that could be misinterpreted as dates. So, what does this one do? He starts agreeing with Rusty that we do spend a lot of time together outside of work," said Sharon.

"Needless to say, neither Rusty nor Nicole believed a word we said and the rest is history," said Andy.

"Including Nicole's twenty bucks that she owed Rusty," said Emily.

"Yeah," Andy replied.

"Here," Sharon said as she handed Andy a plate with a couple of pancakes.

"Mmm. Thank you," said Andy as he reached for Sharon's hand and lightly squeezed it for a moment before letting go.

"You're welcome," said Sharon as she shook her head and smiled at him.

Emily walked over to the sink and rinsed off her plate before sticking it in the dishwasher as she said in reference to Rusty and Ricky, "Well, I'm going to go wake up the gambler and the interrogator. It's about time they got up anyways. So, if you guys…you know…wanna say good morning to each other, you've got at least a couple of minutes before the masses descend."

"Emily!" Sharon exclaimed.

Andy laughed as he asked Sharon, "Can we dub her the new favorite?"

"Stop. Don't encourage her," said Sharon as she lightly smacked Andy with a dish towel as Emily made her way down the hallway towards Rusty's room.

Andy made his way over to Sharon and wrapped his arms around her waist before he said, "Good morning,"

"Good morning," Sharon replied before leaning towards Andy and kissing him.

Taking advantage of the bit of alone time they had, they stood there lazily making out for a few minutes before they heard someone cough loudly behind them to get their attention and they quickly broke apart.

"Rusty, I had no idea you were living with a couple of teenagers," Ricky joked.

"Oh, that? That's pretty much standard procedure at this point," Rusty told him.

Emily shook her head as she said, "I don't get what the big deal is. They were making out. So, what? People in relationships do that. You should try it some time."

"Ha ha," said Ricky.

"Okay, enough. Would the two of you like some pancakes?" Sharon asked Ricky and Rusty.

"Sure," they both replied as they made their way over to the stack of pancakes.

* * *

After breakfast, Sharon told Andy it was now or never with the shower because once the kids got in there, there was no telling when the bathroom would be free again. Andy went down to his car and grabbed his overnight bag out of the trunk before making his way back up to the condo and into the bathroom to shower. Sharon decided to take advantage of this and figured it was a great time to let her kids know about the surprise she was planning for Andy.

"So, now that he's in the shower, I should probably let you guys in on the big surprise I have planned for tonight. So, Andy's kids are spending the day at their mom's house, which is one of the reasons I invited him to spend Thanksgiving with us. Anyways, tonight around 7pm, Nicole, her family, and Andy's son, Brandon are coming over, but Andy doesn't know anything about it. I just wanted to let you guys know, but please don't say anything to him about it," said Sharon.

"Aww…that's so sweet. So, you're surprising him with his kids for Thanksgiving?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. He's gonna be so excited," Sharon replied as she smiled widely.

"Don't worry. They're both cool. Nicole's super nice and we've seen Brandon a couple of times and he seems like a cool guy," Rusty told them.

"Yes. They're great kids," Sharon added.

"The Uno cards are so coming out tonight. We'll get to know each other real quick that way," said Ricky.

"How did that even get started? It seems like we randomly just started playing that one time when we came home to visit mom," said Emily.

"I think we used to play it when we were kids, but I rediscovered it in college. We used to play it at the fraternity house all the time. I guess I brought a deck with me when I came home once and I've been corrupting people with it ever since," Ricky replied.

"I am so proud. My children: Corrupting the world with Uno, one person at a time," said Sharon mockingly.

"Hey, at least I wasn't the kid betting money on your love life," said Ricky.

"Really? How did I all of a sudden get thrown under the bus?" Rusty asked.

"By being part of this family," Emily replied jokingly.

As her three children continued to fight good naturedly in the living room, Sharon made her way down the hall towards the bathroom. She figured she'd leave them to it and wait for Andy to come out of the bathroom. She had a great idea that she was eager to test out.

A minute later, Andy walked out of the bathroom and saw Sharon standing there.

Andy stopped in front of her and asked, "What's going on out there?"

"Oh, they're just arguing about which one of them is corrupting the world more. I have an idea about how to get them to stop though. Wanna test it out?" Sharon asked Andy.

"What did you have in mind?" Andy asked as he wrapped his arms around Sharon.

"Something I think we can both agree is mutually beneficial," said Sharon as she began kissing Andy.

They stood there making out in the middle of the hallway for a few minutes before anybody took notice of them.

"Oh my god! Why does this always happen to me?" Ricky asked.

"Cause when you guys aren't here, it usually ends up happening to me. Last week, I had to remind them it was called a bedroom for a reason," Rusty replied.

"The difference between now and then though is that this time it was entirely intentional," Sharon told them.

"What?" Ricky asked her.

"Basically, your mother did that to get you guys to stop arguing," said Andy.

Emily started laughing before she said, "That's pretty good, actually."

"I thought so," said Sharon.

* * *

The rest of the day was spent busily making preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, which was served around five that afternoon. Everyone enjoyed all of the fixings prepared for the meal and had more than enough to eat that afternoon. When everyone was done, the kids volunteered to clean up as Sharon and Andy had prepared the majority of the meal themselves. Sharon and Andy took advantage of their offer and decided to escape out onto the balcony for a few minutes. Sharon stood at the railing looking out at the view while Andy stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Well, I'd say that was a success," said Andy.

"Mmhmm," Sharon hummed and sniffled as a few tears began streaming down her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Andy asked Sharon as he turned her around to face him and began wiping away her tears.

"Nothing's wrong. In fact, I am so utterly happy with how things have gone over the past couple of days that I don't think I've stopped smiling. Just when I think I can't love you anymore than I already do, you go and do something even more amazing that makes me love you that much more," Sharon replied.

"I'm not sure I did all that much besides be myself, but-" said Andy before Sharon's fingers pressed against his lips to cut him off.

"Your wonderfully amazing self. Andy, I don't want you to downplay what you've done over the past couple of days, or all that you've done over the past almost five months for that matter. Not every man would stay around and do what you've done. Ever since we started dating almost five months ago, I've seen all of the effort you've been putting into forming a bond with Rusty. Speaking from experience, that isn't the easiest thing to do, but the progress you've made over the last five months with him is astounding. He respects you and I think your presence in our lives is even starting to grow on him a little. Then, just what you've done just over the past couple of days and the effort you have put into getting to know Ricky and Emily, it's been amazing. They may not be as difficult to get through to as Rusty can be, but I assure you they are not always a walk in the park to get close to either. Somehow though, just over the past couple of days, you've managed to gain respect from both of them. You clearly have Emily's seal of approval and you've been patient with Ricky, even when he insisted on questioning your intentions," said Sharon.

"Like I said before, you've got great kids, Sharon. You should be proud. They may have their hang ups, but who in this world doesn't? None of them are going to just let some guy waltz into their mother's life without pausing for a moment to question him and his intentions and that's something I can respect. All three of those kids love you so much and none of them wants to see you get hurt again. That's something I can totally get on board with because I don't want to see anybody hurt you either. If someone ever does, they'll have me to answer to," said Andy.

"Just another reason why I love you, Andy Flynn," said Sharon.

"Well, good thing, cause I love you too, Sharon Raydor," Andy replied right before he leaned in and kissed Sharon.

A couple minutes later, there was a loud coughing noise coming from the doorway of the balcony. Sharon and Andy broke apart at hearing the noise and turned to find Rusty standing in the doorway.

"I hate to interrupt your little make out session, but mom, the big surprise is on its way up right now," said Rusty.

"Okay. We're coming in right now," said Sharon as she grabbed Andy's hand and led him inside.

"What did you do?" Andy asked her.

"Who? Me? I have no idea what you're talking about," said Sharon jokingly.

"Yes. What did you and your sense of occasion decide to do this time?" Andy asked her.

"You'll see," said Sharon just as there was a knock on the door.

"I think you should get that. It could be an intruder coming to steal all of our leftovers," said Sharon sarcastically as Andy made his way to the door.

As he unlocked and opened the front door, Andy was completely surprised to see his two children standing there in the doorway.

"Happy Thanksgiving dad," said Brandon.

"Surprise," said Nicole.

Andy shook his head and his face broke into a huge smile before he reached out and hugged both of his kids. After a minute, he took a step back to look at them for a moment, still in shock that they were even there right now.

"Come on in. Wow, this is such an incredible surprise," Andy told them as he moved to let them enter Sharon's condo.

"Well, you have Sharon to thank for that. She put all of this together," Nicole told her father.

"Yes, and I am very grateful for that," said Andy as he looked across the room at Sharon and smiled widely at her as he mouthed thank you to her.

Nicole and Brandon followed Andy across the room to greet Sharon.

"It's good to see you again, Sharon. Happy Thanksgiving," said Nicole.

"Happy Thanksgiving to you, too. Where are Dean and the boys?" Sharon asked Nicole.

"Oh, the boys were so worn out from the day and all of the activity. They fell asleep before we even left my mom's house. So, I just had Dean take them home in our car and rode over here with Brandon," Nicole explained as she pointed at Brandon.

"Brandon, it's nice to see you again," said Sharon as she hugged him.

"Good to see you too, Sharon. Hope you're keeping this guy out of trouble," said Brandon as he pointed towards his father.

"Most of the time," Sharon replied as she looked over and smiled at Andy.

"Yeah. Barring that whole Dodger game thing of course," Brandon joked.

"This guy and I are gonna get along just fine. Ricky Raydor," said Ricky as he stuck his hand out towards Brandon.

Brandon shook Ricky's hand as he said, "Brandon Flynn. Good to meet you. We've heard a lot about you from Sharon."

"All good things I hope," Ricky joked.

"Totally. This is my sister, Nicole," Brandon said to Ricky.

"Nice to meet you, Ricky," said Nicole as she shook his hand.

"This is my sister Emily. And of course you guys already know my little brother, Rusty,"

"Nice to meet you, Emily. Sharon's told us a lot about you too," said Nicole as she held out her hand to Emily.

"It's great to meet you too, Nicole. Mom's told us a lot about you. Then, of course Rusty informed us of the little bet the two of you made regarding these two," said Emily as she pointed towards Sharon and Andy.

"Yeah…it was one of those sorry not sorry moments," said Nicole.

"Oh, I thought it was hilarious," Emily replied.

"Yeah, that's my sister, the comedian. Brandon," said Brandon as he stuck his hand out towards Emily.

"Emily. Good to meet you," said Emily as she shook Brandon's hand.

"Okay, now that we've got all of the introductions out of the way, do you guys like Uno?" Ricky asked them.

"Sure," said Nicole.

"I'm down," said Brandon.

"Okay, then. Let's get down to business," said Ricky as he headed towards the dining room table.

Nicole, Brandon, Rusty, and Emily followed Ricky and each took a seat at the table as Ricky began dealing the cards.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sharon had made her way into the kitchen to brew some coffee for everyone. Andy stood in the dining room for a minute smiling at the scene in front of him before making his way towards the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Sharon from behind and placed a kiss against her right temple.

"What was that for?" Sharon asked as she turned around in Andy's arms.

"For being the most wonderful woman in the world. Sharon…what you've done tonight…it's nothing short of amazing. Four or five years ago, none of this would have happened. It wasn't until you came into my life that I was able to even begin to repair the damage I had done to my family. You have been a buffer, a great advice giver, and everything in between when it came to helping me repair my relationship with my children. It's because of you that my relationship with them has so vastly improved over the past few years and it's because of you that they're sitting here right now and for that I don't know how I could ever thank you enough," said Andy as he smiled at her.

"You already have. I may have been your buffer and given you advice on how to repair your relationship with your kids, but you're the one who put that plan into action. You did all of that and seeing how excited you were when they showed up tonight and how happy they were to see you…well that's all the thanks I need," Sharon replied as she smiled back at him.

"Well, I can think of one other way," said Andy.

"Really? What would that be?" Sharon asked him.

Andy answered Sharon by taking her face in his hands and kissing her lips passionately. She returned the kiss until they heard a whistling noise coming from the dining room, which turned out to be from Nicole. Sharon and Andy quickly broke apart and turned towards the dining room.

"No wonder you guys ended up on the kiss cam," said Brandon.

"Seriously, though. It's like they're a couple of teenagers or something," said Ricky.

"I don't get what the big deal is, Ricky," said Emily

"The big deal is that every time we turn around, we find them making out somewhere. Like, I'm glad they're happy, but jeez," Ricky replied.

"Well, I think it's really sweet. You can tell that they're ridiculously in love with each other. Especially in light of that video Rusty sent us last week," said Nicole.

"You saw that?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, we both did," said Brandon.

"Wait, you saw it?" Rusty asked Sharon.

"Yeah, Andy showed to to me last night," Sharon replied.

"Ricky, really? Nobody was supposed to know about that," Rusty told him.

"Yeah, well when you send the video out to multiple people, it's bound to get out eventually that you were the one who shot it. Hell, I'm surprised it hasn't ended up on YouTube yet," said Ricky.

"That's not a bad idea, actually," said Rusty.

"Don't," both Sharon and Andy said at the same time.

"Oh, alright," Rusty replied.

"Hey, mom, Andy, do you want me to deal you guys into the next game?" Ricky asked them.

"Sure," said Andy.

"Yes, but before we start, the coffee's done. There are mugs on the counter and the coffee creamer and sugar are sitting next to the coffee maker. So, help yourselves," Sharon told them.

Everybody helped themselves to some coffee and Sharon put some more on to brew while they all began what was sure to be a fierce game of Uno.

* * *

A couple of hours later, after the Uno cards had been put away for the night, Sharon made her way into the kitchen to clean the mugs from everyone's coffee. Emily and Nicole followed her, while Andy and the guys made themselves comfortable in the living room. Sharon glanced in the living room for a second and smiled before turning her attention back to the dishes and Emily and Nicole.

"You've done it again, Sharon," said Nicole.

"What?" Sharon asked her.

"The Sharon effect continues," said Nicole.

"Oh god! Are we still talking about that?" Sharon asked her.

"It exists, I'm telling you," said Nicole.

"Yeah, your dad told me about that awkward night," Emily said to Nicole.

"Well, it may have been awkward for them, but I think both Rusty and I can agree that the night was rather amusing for us," said Nicole.

"And this is how we know you're your father's daughter," Sharon interjected.

"I bet it was amusing. It's not often that mom gets all awkward like that. I told Rusty he should've got it on video for Ricky and I. Oh, and the several times a month part was priceless," Emily said to Nicole.

"Wait, I must have missed that part. Rusty, come here for a second," said Nicole.

"Oh god! What are we going to do with all of you and your unique brand of shenanigans? Andy and I are at more than a slight disadvantage here," said Sharon.

A few seconds later, Rusty appeared in the kitchen.

"What's up?" Rusty asked Nicole.

"Do you want to tell me about the several times a month story?" Nicole asked him.

"Oh, yeah. That was great. You see, right before we all went to the Nutcracker, after you and your dad walked out into the hallway, Sharon proceeded to tell me that her and Andy weren't dating. I proceeded to tell her that they were quote unquote not dating several times a month. Then I walked out into the hallway very proud of myself because I knew I was right," said Rusty.

"Yeah, after that night, I was pretty sure that they were both just in denial about it, too. I mean, it was kind of obvious," said Nicole.

"Care to enlighten me?" Sharon asked Nicole.

"Well, dad never correcting my assumption that the two of you were dating until it got him in trouble with you was a dead giveaway that he liked you. Plus, when Rusty was asking all of those questions, dad didn't dispute the insinuation Rusty was making," said Nicole.

"Okay, I'll give you that. Cause when I talked to your father the day after you came by the PAB and suggested that he tell you the truth, he was very reluctant to do so. At the time, I thought it was because he didn't want you to be mad at him for misleading you, but looking back on it now, I think it might have been a bit more than just that. What I don't get is how I was obvious about it. I think I have a pretty good poker face," said Sharon.

"Mom, I wasn't even there and I can tell you that it was most likely your awkwardness at the situation that gave it away," said Emily.

"Oh, totally," said Rusty.

"Sorry, Sharon. It kind of was. As more and more of the truth came out, you looked like you were going to kill my father. Plus, the way you stepped in and helped my dad when he was fumbling his words and tried to clear up any misunderstanding I may have had was kind of a dead giveaway that you liked him more than you were mad at him in that moment. Even if he had completely mislead me when it came to his relationship with you. Oh, and not to be crude, but I'm sure you don't pull out the dress you were wearing that night for just anybody. Even if it was completely unintentional at the time, I'll have you know that I don't think my father took his eyes off of you for more than a minute that whole night," said Nicole.

"And that's my cue to leave," said Rusty as he walked back out into the living room.

"Aren't they the cutest thing ever?" Emily asked Nicole.

"They really are. Like two little lovebirds," Nicole replied.

"Okay, I get it. We were more than a little obvious about it and you think Andy and I are the most adorable thing you guys have ever seen. There's really no denying it now since, as you pointed out, Andy and I are ridiculously in love," said Sharon.

"How does she do that?" Nicole asked Emily.

"What? Turn things around on you like that? You should hear what she did this morning," said Emily as they walked off towards the living room.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Sharon looked towards the living room, she caught Andy's eyes and smiled at him as he smiled back at her. Yes, this was definitely the best Thanksgiving ever. All of their children were there with them and they had each other. Really, what more could two people ask for? 

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	8. Good Night and Good Luck

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: The song Sharon has on when Andy gets home is Heartbeat Song by Kelly Clarkson. So, you might want to listen to the song before or while you're reading that part. Also, the chapter title below is a quote from veteran radio news reporter, Edward R. Murrow. I thought the saying fit the theme of the chapter, although it's meant in a completely different context. Anyways, enjoy!

 **Chapter 8: Good Night and Good Luck**

The case had been tough on all of them. An eight year old boy riding his bicycle had gotten caught in the line of fire in a gang war shootout and had been killed. While it had affected every member of the team, Andy seemed to be taking it the hardest. By this point in their relationship, Sharon knew when to push and when to back off for a bit and let Andy get his head on straight about things. Which is why when he left the PAB that night without a word, she didn't take it personally. She knew every cop had their own way of coping after difficult cases like this one and even though Andy hadn't said anything to her, she knew him well enough to know where he had gone. So, as she finished the last of her paperwork for the night, she packed up her stuff and grabbed her bag to leave. She was planning on going to Andy's house and waiting for him to get home. She'd also thought of an idea about how she might cheer him up.

* * *

About an hour and thirty minutes later, Andy pulled into his driveway behind Sharon's car. When he got out of the car though, he was a bit puzzled. Obviously, Sharon was there because her car was parked in his driveway, but all of the lights in his house were turned off, which he found odd.

Andy opened his front door cautiously and as he did, he heard music begin to play from his stereo and saw why all of the lights had been turned out. Sharon had lit the entire room with candles. What he saw next made him smile. Sharon was standing on his couch in black leggings, a plain white t-shirt, and an oversized cream cardigan sweater and was shamelessly dancing to some Top 40 song that he didn't know the name of. Andy decided to sit in a nearby chair as he watched Sharon looking at him as she continued to dance and lip sync the song.

A couple minutes later, Andy stood up and moved towards Sharon as he could tell the song was about to end. When it did, he put his hands on Sharon's hips, lifted her off the couch, and set her down in front of him.

"Hi," said Sharon as she smiled and looked into Andy's eyes.

"Hi. That was quite a performance," said Andy as he smiled at Sharon.

"Yeah? I thought it might cheer you up," Sharon replied.

"Mmhmm. Thank you," Andy told her.

"For what? All I did was dance badly on your couch," Sharon replied nonchalantly.

"For always knowing how to make me feel better. You know how much I love your dancing," said Andy.

"Well, after the week we've had, I think we both deserve a bit of levity in our lives," Sharon replied.

"That's for damn sure. Did you eat yet?" Andy asked her.

"No. I was waiting for you to get home," Sharon replied.

Andy kissed Sharon's lips briefly before he said, "Well, let's see what I've got. I'm sure we can find something to make for dinner in there."

As Sharon was searching through Andy's pantry while Andy looked in the fridge, Sharon asked him, "Do you have bread?"

"Yeah," Andy replied.

"What kind of cheese do you have in there?" Sharon asked him.

"Let's see. There's cheddar and mozzarella," Andy told her.

"That'll work. Grab that, the bread and the butter out and we've got ourselves all of the ingredients for a grilled cheese," said Sharon.

"Seriously?" Andy asked as he chuckled.

"What? You know how much I like comfort food after difficult days at work. Except this time, I'm cooking for you," Sharon told him.

"I can't argue with that. While you're doing that, I'm gonna get out of this suit and change into something more comfortable," Andy replied.

"Thanks for the mental picture," said Sharon flirtatiously.

"Anytime," Andy replied as he chuckled and made his way down the hall to his bedroom to change his clothes.

* * *

About five minutes later, Andy made his way down the hall and towards the kitchen in navy blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt. Once he got there, he wrapped his arms around Sharon from behind and placed a kiss behind her ear before setting his chin against her shoulder as he watched her cook the second grilled cheese.

"You can have the first one over there if you want," Sharon told him.

"It's alright. I'll wait for you. That way we can eat together," Andy told her.

Sharon smiled at him before she asked, "Did you talk to Nicole and Brandon?"

"Yeah. I called them on my way home from AA. Sorry for ducking out on you like that earlier," said Andy.

"There's no need to apologize, Andy. We all deal with difficult cases differently. Plus, I know you well enough to know that your first stop after a difficult case like this one is usually a meeting. Plus, it gave me a chance to call my kids and talk with each of them for a little while," said Sharon as she placed the second grilled cheese on a plate and leaned against the counter as she ate.

"And how are the Raydor children?" Andy asked as he leaned against the counter across from Sharon.

"Good. Both working a lot as usual, but good," said Sharon as she smiled at him.

"What about Rusty? What's he up to?" Andy asked.

"Mostly just studying and trying to prepare for UCLA in the spring. He's good though. What are Nicole and Brandon up to?" Sharon asked.

"Working a lot, too. Nicole said the boys are already bouncing off the walls waiting for Christmas," Andy replied.

"Oh, I'm sure. Speaking of Christmas, what's the plan?" Sharon asked Andy.

"I'm not really sure yet. I'll talk to the kids about it and get back to you. Are Ricky and Emily coming home for Christmas?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Yeah. They're going to be here from the 23rd until the 30th," said Sharon as she smiled widely.

"Knowing you and your sense of occasion, I'm sure you have all sorts of plans for when they're here," said Andy.

"You know you love my sense of occasion," said Sharon as she moved towards Andy.

"I do," said Andy as he grabbed Sharon and kissed her. "In fact, I think it might be starting to rub off on me."

"What makes you say that?" Sharon asked him.

"I have a great idea. Close your eyes," Andy told her.

"What? Andy, what are you doing?" Sharon asked him as she laughed and closed her eyes.

"Just wait. You'll see in a minute," said Andy as he went down the hall to the linen closet.

Andy grabbed a down comforter before making his way towards his bedroom to grab the comforter off the bed and a couple of pillows before coming back into the living room. From there, Andy went about setting up the makeshift bed before going over to the fireplace and making a fire. He then found the remote to the stereo and chose a song he'd heard earlier in the week that, in the midst of all the gloom this case had brought on, had made him smile because as he listened to it, all he could think about was how lucky he felt to have Sharon in his life. So, as the Thomas Rhett song, _Die A Happy Man,_ began to play, he turned the lights off and smiled as he made his way over to Sharon to find that she too was smiling with her eyes still closed.

"How'd you know I was smiling?" Andy asked Sharon.

"I didn't until right now. I was smiling because every woman in America wants their man to play this song for them and I'm one of the lucky few because I have a man romantic enough to play it for me," said Sharon

"You can open your eyes now," said Andy.

"Oh, Andy…" Sharon trailed off as her eyes glossed over with unshed tears when she saw what Andy had done to the living room.

As Andy took Sharon in his arms and they began to dance, Andy said, "I heard this song earlier in the week and in the midst of all the doom and gloom we've been dealing with all week, it made me smile for a few minutes because I thought of you and how lucky I am to have you in my life. It just seemed appropriate to play it now, especially after all you did for me tonight."

"I'm not sure I did all that much," said Sharon.

"You've done more than you think. Before, after tough cases like this, I'd usually sit here by myself in the dark trying to process how such evil could exist in this world. Now, I have you to remind me that there's still good in this world and I can't even begin to explain how much that means to me," said Andy.

"It goes both ways, Andy. Remember that night a few months ago when you had me come over and told me to go take a bath while you cooked us dinner?" Sharon asked him.

"How could I forget that night," Andy replied knowingly.

"Well, that too, but I'll never forget how I felt that night. I'd been on my own for so long that I'd forgotten what it felt like to have someone take care of me when I needed it. You sensing that and inviting me over to take care of me…words can't even begin to describe how much that meant to me. So tonight, I just wanted to do the same for you," Sharon replied.

It was then that Andy took Sharon's face in his hands and kissed her lips passionately.

A minute later, Sharon broke the kiss and whispered, "One question before we get too far into this. How do we get from here to the floor gracefully?"

"I've got a few ideas," Andy replied.

"By all means then," Sharon told him.

Suddenly, Andy put one arm against Sharon's back and bent down to put the other under her knees before picking her up and crouching low enough to the ground that he could gently set her on the makeshift bed.

"Impressive," said Sharon as she smiled up at Andy.

"Just wait. I'm full of surprises," Andy replied as their lips collided in quite a passionate kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Andy woke up to Sharon kissing him.

"Not a bad way to wake up," Andy commented.

"Nope," Sharon replied as she smiled at Andy.

Andy leaned over and kissed Sharon for a moment before he asked, "So, what does the lovely Sharon Raydor have planned for today?"

"Not too much. As you may recall, I gave everyone today off. So, as long as we don't catch a new case, it looks like mostly a whole lot of nothing. What about you? What does the dashing Andy Flynn have planned for today?" Sharon asked him.

"Well, I'm supposed to meet Nicole, Dean, and the boys at the park later, but that isn't until around two. So, we have until then to do whatever we want," said Andy.

"Well, it's around eight right now. What do you say we go get brunch somewhere?" Sharon asked.

"I say that's an amazing idea. I've got the perfect place, too," Andy replied.

"Oh, really?" Sharon asked.

"Yep," Andy replied.

"And what might this perfect place be called?" Sharon asked him.

"Not telling. It's a surprise," replied Andy.

"And the surprises continue…" Sharon trailed off.

"Like I said," Andy began.

"I know. You're full of surprises. Well, how about we do something that's not surprising and go shower so we can go to brunch," said Sharon.

"As long as that was an invitation to join you," said Andy.

"Oh it most definitely was," replied Sharon.

* * *

After they showered and got ready, they got in Andy's car and headed to the surprise brunch place he'd mentioned. They were both dressed rather casually. Sharon had recently decided to keep an extra set of non work clothes in her car for when she stayed the night at Andy's house and wanted an extra set of clothes to change into the next day. She was currently wearing a pair of light wash jeans, an emerald green blouse, black flats, and the oversized cream cardigan she'd had on the night before. Andy was dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt with a Dodgers logo across the front, Nike sneakers, and a black zip up hoodie that he'd chosen to leave unzipped.

After they were about ten minutes into their drive, Sharon asked Andy, "So, are you gonna tell me where we're going now?"

"Nope. I want it to be a surprise. I can tell you that we're almost there though," said Andy.

"Okay," said Sharon as she wracked her brain trying to figure out where they might be going.

A couple minutes later, they pulled up to a familiar café near Downtown LA and Sharon smiled as she realized why Andy had wanted to keep it a surprise.

"The date you forgot," said Sharon.

"Yeah. You wanted to go to brunch and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make it up to you for forgetting that date," Andy replied.

"Andy, you didn't have to do that. I wasn't even mad about it after I knew you were alright and that you'd honestly just forgotten about it in all of the craziness. Plus, that was like two months ago," said Sharon.

"I know, but I wanted to make it up to you. For scaring the crap out of you, if nothing else," Andy replied.

"You're so sweet. How'd I get so lucky?" Sharon asked before she briefly kissed Andy's lips.

"I think I'm the one who's lucky. I've got quite the woman over here. She forgives me when I'm a jerk and forget that we were supposed to go on a date," said Andy.

"Yeah, but when the jerk honestly forgets and apologizes, it makes everything better. Him making it up to her is just the icing on the cake. It's not necessary, but it's certainly appreciated," Sharon replied before kissing Andy again.

Andy smiled at that before asking Sharon, "You ready to go inside?"

"Yeah, let's go," Sharon replied as they got out of the car and headed into the quaint little cafe.

* * *

After they'd placed their orders, Sharon and Andy sat at the table talking and holding hands.

"So, you're not doing anything the rest of the day?" Andy asked her.

"Not unless we catch a new case. Why?" Sharon asked him.

"Well, I was thinking…if you wanted to…you could come with me to the park this afternoon," said Andy questioningly.

"I'd love to. I just wanna make sure I'm not intruding on your time with your family," said Sharon.

"Are you kidding? Nicole will be ecstatic that I brought you. Helps to even out all the testosterone she's surrounded by," said Andy.

"Okay. You've sold me," Sharon told Andy as she smiled at him.

"Well, that was easy," said Andy.

"I guess it was the allure of monkey bars and swings that got me," Sharon joked.

"Hey! What about me and my irresistible charm?" Andy asked feigning offense.

"That certainly helped too. You know what else helped?" Sharon asked as she smiled mischievously at Andy.

"Oh, this should be good. What?" Andy asked as he smiled back at her.

"Your dashing good looks," Sharon whispered as she continued smiling at him.

"That's why I shower everyday and go to the gym four times a week," Andy replied.

"Among other things," Sharon added.

"Sharon Raydor, you are quite the flirt today," Andy pointed out.

"I guess you bring out that side of me," said Sharon.

At that, Andy shook his head and smiled at her. He swore Sharon Raydor would be the death of him someday.

* * *

After they finished eating and Andy paid for their meal, they got into Andy's car and headed to the park to meet up with Nicole, Dean, and Dean's two sons, Ben and Finn.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the park right on time. Nicole and Dean were seated at a table watching the boys play when Andy and Sharon walked up.

"Sharon! What a nice surprise! Dad didn't mention you were coming with him," said Nicole as she got up to hug Sharon.

"Oh, you know men. They're always last minute," Sharon joked sarcastically.

"Yeah," said Nicole.

"Hey!" both Andy and Dean said at the same time.

"Calm down, it was a joke. Sharon, you remember my husband, Dean," said Nicole.

"Yes. Nice to see you again," Sharon said to Dean.

"And you as well. Andy talks about you all the time," said Dean as they all sat down.

"Not all the time," said Andy.

"Okay, only 90% of the time. You gotta reserve the last 10% for the Dodgers," Nicole joked.

"That's right. Now, where are my grandsons?" Andy asked them.

"I'll go get them. They're probably ready for their snack by now," said Dean as he got up from the table to go get the boys.

"I'll help you round them up. I need to have a talk with you about bro code, anyway," said Andy as he got up and headed over to the play structure with Dean.

"Oh god," said Nicole.

"I swear. He brings that up every time one of the guys spills his secrets," said Sharon.

"So, in other words it's no longer effective," said Nicole.

"Pretty much," said Sharon as she chuckled.

The two women sat there for a moment watching Andy and Dean round up the boys before they brought them back over to the picnic table for their snack.

"Are you two hungry?" Nicole asked Ben and Finn.

Yeah," said the oldest, Ben.

"What are we eating, Nic?" Finn asked.

"Well, I have apples slices and peanut butter. Then, if you guys eat all of that and are still hungry, I may let you have a few animal crackers," Nicole told them as she laid out their snack for them.

As the boys began eating, Nicole asked them, "Do you guys remember Sharon? Grandpa's special friend."

"Oh, yeah. Very special," Andy commented as Sharon fixed him with a glare before cracking a slight smile and then turning her attention back to the boys.

"Oh, yeah. She came to our recital with Grandpa last year," said Ben.

"That's right and you guys both did a great job," said Sharon.

"Yeah, but Grandpa wasn't really watching. He was looking at you the whole time," said Ben.

"Ben," Dean scolded him.

"It's quite alright," Sharon told Dean as she looked over and gave Nicole a look.

"Don't look at me. I had nothing to do with that. The kid's six and observant," Nicole told her.

As Sharon tried not to laugh, she jokingly said to Andy, "Looks like you need to teach someone else about bro code."

"So, does special friend mean that you're grandpa's girlfriend?" Ben asked her.

Sharon chuckled at that for a moment and looked over at Nicole for permission before she said, "Yes, it does, Ben. How did you get so smart?"

"By being in the first grade," Ben replied.

Sharon chuckled at Ben's answer before she turned to Finn and asked him, "And how old are you now, Finn?"

"I'm four," Finn replied.

"Wow. I see you like cars. Your grandpa likes cars too," said Sharon after noticing cars on Finn's shirt.

"I know. You wanna know what my favorite car is?" Finn asked Sharon.

"What?" Sharon asked him.

"A police car. Just like grandpa drives," said Finn.

"Aww…" said Sharon as she looked over at Andy.

"You know Finn, Sharon's a police officer too," Nicole told him.

"Really? That's so cool! Do you work with grandpa?" Finn asked Sharon.

"I do work with your grandpa," Sharon replied.

"What happens when grandpa gets in trouble at work? Do you put him in jail?" Finn asked her.

Sharon chuckled before she said, "Not exactly. More like time out for grown ups. I make your grandpa do all of the boring jobs he doesn't like doing."

"Yeah, and you know what she used to make me do, Finn?" Andy asked.

"What?" Finn asked Andy.

"She used to make me go listen to some really boring people talk all day," Andy told him.

"Really?" Sharon asked as she gave Andy a pointed look.

"What? It's true," said Andy.

"I wanna be a police officer when I grow up," Finn told them.

"Oh god. Light a candle now," said Sharon.

"Why do you light a candle?" Finn asked.

"Oops. Sorry," Sharon told Nicole and Dean.

"No, it's totally fine," said Dean.

"I think what Sharon means is that being a police officer can be a dangerous job because sometimes the bad guys try to hurt the police officers, which makes their families worry about them a lot. So, sometimes people will light a candle for them to help protect them," Nicole explained to Finn.

"Oh," said Finn.

"But your grandpa and I try to be extra careful to make sure that doesn't happen so that we go home safe," Sharon added.

"Good. Can we go play now?" Finn asked.

"We can definitely go play now. Last one to the swings is a rotten egg," said Andy as he took off towards the swings with the boys quickly catching up to him.

As Sharon got up from the table she said jokingly, "And I'm going to go and make sure none of them get into too much trouble."

As Sharon walked off towards the playground, Nicole shook her head at Sharon's comment, knowing she was mostly talking about her father.

"She's really good with them," Dean commented.

"Yeah, she is, but then again she's had lots of practice. Being a single mom for the past twenty something years tends to do that," said Nicole.

"Wow. That's tough," said Dean.

"Yeah, from what dad's told me, her ex is a real piece of work. She's a tough cookie though," said Nicole.

"Seems like it. I bet she keeps your dad in line," Dean joked.

"Oh, she definitely does," said Nicole.

"They seem really happy together," Dean commented.

"Oh, they so are. I think they've been in love with each other for a long time now. Even if they didn't recognize it at first," Nicole told him.

* * *

About an hour later, Sharon walked over towards the picnic table where Nicole and Dean were sitting.

"Goodness. I almost forgot how much energy kids that age have," said Sharon as she sat down at the table.

"They can definitely be a handful sometimes," Nicole replied.

"Oh crap. I better go save your dad," said Dean.

"Why?" Nicole asked him and then looked up.

"Oh my goodness," said Sharon as she saw Ben and Finn piling on top of Andy's back in the sand.

"I swear he's such a big kid," said Nicole in reference to her dad.

"Yeah, he is. He's good with them though," Sharon commented.

"Yeah, he is. So are you, by the way. I think you're Finn's new favorite person," said Nicole.

"Well, they're both great kids. You and Dean are doing an awesome job with them," said Sharon.

"Thanks, we try. So, how's dad doing? He seemed kind of down when I talked to him last night," Nicole commented.

"He's a lot better now. We just finished up a rough case. It was pretty hard on him. This really helps him though. Being around you guys and the boys," Sharon answered.

"And you, I'm sure," Nicole added.

Sharon chuckled and then smiled before she said, "Yeah. We help each other out during times like those. It's a two way street, you know?"

"Yeah. How do you do that though? It's gotta be tough," said Nicole.

"What do you mean?" Sharon asked her.

"I mean Dean and I work together too but we're just dealing with business stuff. So, after we come home at the end of the day, that stuff doesn't really matter. Whereas with you and Dad, you both work in very high stress jobs where you deal with a lot of really heavy stuff that most people don't even have to deal with. So, I guess what I'm asking is how do you deal with all of that heavy stuff at work during the day and then be present in your relationship when you come home at night?"

"Lots of practice. It's not just with your dad either. It's has to do with every sort of relationship you have in your life. I remember when Ricky and Emily were growing up and it was just me and them. I didn't have the luxury of breaking down right away when I got home because I had to be there and be present for them. It's similar in romantic relationships as well. At the end of the day, you have to do your best to be present for the sake of the other person and for your relationship. Although, it's different in a lot of ways too because in a romantic relationship, that other person is there to support you and take care of you if you need it. Believe it or not, in our situation, working together is actually a positive thing for our relationship because when we see each other at the end of the day, we already know roughly what the other has gone through and can sort of gauge where the other person is at and if one of us needs that extra support or not. I remember a few months back we had this tough case that really affected me. Your dad could see that. So, he invited me over to his house for dinner. When he got back from the store, not only did he get all of the ingredients for dinner, but he also brought me back a bottle of my favorite bubble bath and made me go soak in the tub while he cooked us dinner. The bottom line is, outside of work, we try our best to be present with each other and drop all of the work stuff at the door. It's not a foolproof plan, but we do our best," said Sharon.

"Aww…who knew dad was such a softie," Nicole commented.

Sharon smiled before she said, "Yeah, I'm really lucky to have him in my life."

"I'm sure he feels exactly the same way about you," said Nicole.

"Yeah. Which reminds me, your dad and I were talking about Christmas last night and we were wondering what your plans were. Ricky and Emily are going to be in town and I thought we could all get together at some point with you guys and your brother," said Sharon.

"That sounds great! We're pretty much booked solid Christmas day, but we could all get together on Christmas Eve if you want," said Nicole.

"Perfect! Would it be easier for you guys if we had it at my condo or at your house?" Sharon asked her.

"Either way is fine with me. I'll tell you what, we'll have it at our house. You guys hosted us on Thanksgiving. It only seems fair that we host you guys this time," said Nicole.

"Okay. As long as you let me come over earlier in the day and help you get stuff ready. I know how stressful it can be trying to get stuff like that done when you've got two little ones running around. I'll bring your dad over with me and we'll put him and Dean on babysitting duty," said Sharon.

"Okay, you've got a deal. Feel free to bring Rusty, Ricky, and Emily over when you guys come over too. We've got Netflix and Dean's got the hugest movie collection you've ever seen. That should keep them all entertained for a while. Hey, if all else fails, Ricky can whip out the Uno cards," said Nicole.

"Great!" said Sharon before her phone started to ring.

She looked down and saw it was Provenza.

"Crap. Hold on a minute. I'll be right back," she told Nicole as she stepped away from the table to take the call.

"Lieutenant Provenza, please tell me we don't already have another case," said Sharon into the phone.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Captain. Unfortunately, we have a murder. West Hollywood off of Melrose. A male in his late 20's stabbed to death outside of a convenience store," said Provenza.

"Do we know of any possible motives at this point?" Sharon asked him.

"Not yet, Captain," replied Provenza.

"Okay. Have we identified the victim yet?" Sharon asked him.

"Not yet. We didn't find any ID on him. So, I guess we're going to have to rely on Dr. Morales for that answer. The body's on its way to the morgue right now. I have Sykes and Julio combing the scene searching for evidence and Tao's on his way to help us finish up here," Provenza explained.

"Okay. Andy and I are in Echo Park right now. So, why don't the four of you finish processing the scene and meet us back at PAB when you guys are done. Meanwhile, Andy and I will head to the morgue and see if Dr. Morales can help us identify our victim and give us an official cause of death before we proceed with our investigation," Sharon told Provenza.

"Will do, Captain," said Provenza before he ended the call.

Meanwhile, Sharon sighed before she turned around and walked back over towards Nicole.

"Duty calls, unfortunately," Sharon told her.

"Well, that sucks. At least you guys got to come hang out with us for a little while though. Come on, I'll walk over with you so you can grab dad," said Nicole as they began walking towards Dean, Andy, and the boys.

Once she got there, she leaned against Andy and whispered, "We have to go. Lieutenant Provenza just called me. We caught a case."

Andy sighed before he said, "Okay."

It was then that Sharon walked over to the boys and crouched down to their level before she said "Unfortunately, Grandpa and I have to leave. We had lots of fun playing with you guys and swinging on the swings though. We'll have to do it again soon," Sharon told them.

"Do you and Grandpa have to go to work?" Finn asked her.

"Yeah, we do, buddy," said Andy.

Suddenly, Finn launched himself at Sharon and hugged her before he said, "Bye, Sharon. Be safe."

Once Finn let go of her, Sharon put her hand to her chest and said, "Aww…I will, Finn."

"And Grandpa too?" Ben asked.

"Yes, Grandpa too. I'll do my best to make sure he comes home safe," Sharon told him.

Ben then leaned over and hugged Sharon too while Finn hugged Andy. After Ben hugged Sharon he went over and hugged Andy too.

"We'll see you later, okay?" said Sharon.

"Okay," both boys said.

"Thanks for hanging out with us," said Nicole as she hugged Sharon while Dean shook Andy's hand.

"Oh, no problem. It was fun," Sharon told her.

They then switched and Andy hugged Nicole while Dean hugged Sharon.

"You guys stay safe out there," Dean told them.

"We will. Thanks," said Sharon.

"Bye, Andy told them.

"Bye," all of them told Andy and Sharon as they began walking off towards Andy's car.

"Let's swing by your place real quick. That way we can grab our guns and shields and I can grab my car before we head to the PAB," Sharon said to Andy.

"Okay," said Andy as they got into his car and drove off.

* * *

That night around 8:30 pm, Sharon got a text message from Nicole. It read:

 _It seems you made quite an impression on them today. I told them I'd send this to you and dad._

Below the text message was a video. When Sharon hit play, it showed Ben and Finn standing next to Nicole as she lit two small candles.

"Do you two wanna say anything?" Nicole asked them.

"Stay safe Grandpa and Sharon!" they both yelled towards the camera.

Once the video ended, Sharon wiped a couple of tears that had fallen. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," said Sharon as she furiously tried to wipe the tears that had fallen before she realized it was only Andy.

"You saw the video?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I just watched it," Sharon told him.

"Nicole's right about you making quite the impression. Although, that's not really all that surprising to me," said Andy.

"And why would that be?" Sharon asked him curiously.

"Because you're like cake. Everybody likes you," Andy told her.

Sharon laughed before she asked, "Have we reduced ourselves to using cake metaphors now? We're such nerds."

"Yeah, but lovable nerds," Andy replied.

"True. Now get back to work," Sharon told him as she smiled at him.

"You're the boss," said Andy as he smiled at her, closed the door, and made his way back over to his desk in the murder room.

Sharon smiled to herself for a moment. She was lucky to have that man in her life and now it seemed his family was becoming a part of that life too. She truly wouldn't have it any other way. Her ever so lonely heart wasn't so lonely anymore. In fact, it seemed to be getting fuller every day.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing and for sticking with me during the lack of updating over the past month! It is greatly appreciated!


	9. That's Why You Have Me

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: So, I feel the need to warn all of you that there is a bit of angst in this chapter, which is not something I tend to write a whole lot of. I guess that's just the hopeless romantic in me. Anyways, as is my nature, I tried to balance it out with some feel good moments too. Also, there is a scene towards the end of the chapter that some may say toes the line between being rated T and M, although I guess that's a matter of opinion. Anyways, enjoy! 

**Chapter 9: That's Why You Have Me**

It was almost the third week of December and tonight Sharon and Andy were attending an LAPD charity event benefiting Toys for Tots. She'd asked him last week if he'd like to go with her. He was honestly a bit surprised when she had asked him since they usually kept a fairly low profile at work where their personal relationship was concerned. He had even asked her if she was sure about doing this. At first, Sharon thought Andy was acting a little strange about the whole thing, but after they talked about it, she understood where he was coming from.

They weren't outwardly affectionate with each other at work. When all of this had started five months ago, they had both agreed that it was best to keep their personal relationship out of the PAB as much as possible. Neither of them wanted to be the subject of gossip within the LAPD or make anybody on the team uncomfortable by being overly affectionate with each other at work. They had been together long enough now though that the team and most likely many other members of the LAPD knew they were a couple. Sharon had explained to Andy that she was totally fine being seen with him in this type of environment because even though it was a work related function, it wasn't one where she felt like she needed to project an air of authority. After she had made that clarification, Andy had easily agreed to be her date the following Saturday.

Ever since then, Andy had been trying to find out what she would be wearing Saturday night. Sharon was determined to keep it a secret though and had purposely hidden the dress in a garment bag in Rusty's closet until tonight.

Sharon was now dressed in the long sleeve floor length green evening gown with a slight v-back and matching chiffon belt at the waist that accentuated her figure while still looking conservative enough for a work function. Her hair was gathered into a slightly wavy high ponytail that had a pouf in front of it. She had opted for a pale pink lipstick with simple eye makeup for a somewhat natural, yet elegant look. As she was doing a once over to make sure everything looked okay, she heard the doorbell ring.

"Rusty, can you get that for me? It's probably Andy," said Sharon.

"Sure," said Rusty as he began walking towards the door.

Once Rusty got to the door, he unlocked and opened it to reveal Andy standing there in a traditional black and white tuxedo.

"Hey, Rusty," said Andy.

"Hey, Andy. Come on in. Mom should be out in a minute," Rusty told him as he moved to the side to let Andy into the condo before shutting the door.

"Thanks," said Andy.

"I just have to say that it's a little weird seeing you in a tux," said Rusty.

"Good weird or bad weird?" Andy asked him.

"Good weird. I guess I'm just used to seeing you in a suit when you're at the PAB," said Rusty.

"Yeah, I figured I should step it up a bit tonight. I've actually only worn this tux one other time," said Andy.

"Nicole's wedding," said Sharon as she walked into the living room, having now added a pair of black heels and a cream and gold clutch to her outfit.

Once Andy saw Sharon, he became speechless for a moment before he recovered and said, "Oh Sharon…you look amazing."

"You don't look half bad yourself. I'm glad you wore the tux," said Sharon as she smiled widely at Andy.

"Well, you guys have a good time. I've got a little bit of work to do on the vlog. So, I guess I'll see you guys later," said Rusty as he turned to walk towards the hallway.

"Bye Rusty. I love you," said Sharon.

"Love you too, mom. Bye Andy," said Rusty.

"Bye, Rusty. Good luck working on the vlog," said Andy.

"Thanks," said Rusty before he made his way down the hallway and into his room.

"Ready to go?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Yeah, let's go," said Sharon as she made her way towards the door and opened it.

Once the door was closed and locked, Sharon and Andy began making their way down the hall towards the elevator.

"Let me just say that this dress hugs you in all of the right places," Andy leaned over and whispered in Sharon's ear as he slipped his arm around her waist.

"Well, maybe if you're lucky, I'll let you take it off of me later," said Sharon flirtatiously as they stepped into the elevator.

* * *

About twenty five minutes later, Sharon and Andy arrived at the Omni Hotel, where the charity event was being held. They dropped Andy's car off with the valet and then made their way inside to the banquet room where the event was being held. They looked around a bit before they found Provenza standing off to the side with Patrice talking with Sanchez, Buzz, Tao, and Tao's wife, Cathy. They made their way over to them.

"I hope this old dinosaur wasn't boring all of you," Andy joked.

"No more than you're entertaining them in that penguin suit," Provenza replied.

"Hey! Don't insult the tux," Sharon told him.

"She's very sentimental about the tux," Andy explained as he wrapped his arm around Sharon's waist.

"He wore it when we went to Nicole's wedding," Sharon explained.

"Aww…that's adorable," said Patrice.

"Ahh…the unofficial first date," said Provenza.

"Louie! Gosh! You'll have to excuse him. He hates these sorts of things," said Patrice.

"The things I do for kids," Provenza mumbled under his breath.

"Don't worry, Patrice. They're like this all the time at work," said Sanchez.

"They're usually worse than this at work," Buzz added.

"Yeah, this is pretty tame actually. It must be because they're in the presence of women," said Tao.

"Oh my god, Sharon! I have no idea how you put up with these four all day," said Patrice.

"Oh, believe me, it has its challenges some days," Sharon replied.

"Yeah? Well then how come you voluntarily spent almost an entire afternoon on your day off with all of us about two months ago?" Provenza asked.

"I'm not sure you want her to answer that," said Buzz.

"Yeah, sir. No offense, but that was pretty stupid," said Sanchez.

"I'll tell you what Andy tells Rusty when he asks questions like that. Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to," said Sharon.

"Ye gods," said Provenza.

* * *

It was now a couple of hours into the charity event. They had all just finished eating dinner as the band began to play and people started making their way onto the dance floor.

Sharon looked at Andy before she said, "So, there's this guy I know who's a particularly good dancer. I mean he has some seriously good moves and I was wondering if he'd like to dance with me."

"What a coincidence. Cause I know this beautiful woman who has some pretty good dance moves herself and I was thinking of asking her to dance. Do you think she'd say yes if I asked her?" Andy replied.

Sharon smiled at Andy before she said, "Well, I don't think it would take too much to convince her. My advice would be to just take her hand and lead her out onto the dance floor. Direct and to the point. Of course, that's just me."

It was then that Andy grabbed Sharon's hand and led her onto the dance floor. One of his hands settled on Sharon's waist while the other settled on her shoulder while one of her hands rested against his side and the other found its way to his chest, resting just over his heart.

They danced like that for a few songs before a loud commotion from the stage stopped them dead in their tracks.

It was none other than a very drunk Jack Raydor spewing things on stage.

"And I'd like to make a toast to my ex wife, Sharon Raydor…" said Jack.

"Patrice, please call this asshole a cab, grab Cathy, and then meet us out front. This bullshit ends now," said Provenza as he followed Sanchez, Tao and Buzz towards the stage.

"Thanks for keeping my children away from me all these years. You always were such a bitch. Of course, I think everyone here already knew that," Jack continued.

As Provenza made his way past a stunned Sharon and an angry Andy, Provenza said to Andy, "Flynn, get her out of here, now. We've got this under control. Go!"

As Andy turned to guide Sharon out of the banquet room, Jack said, "Except maybe a certain lieutenant you've been screwing. Tell me, were the two of you screwing while we were still married? Cause it wouldn't surprise me. You were always a bit of a slut."

Just then Sanchez grabbed Jack harshly and pushed him away from the microphone as Tao and Buzz helped him forcefully guide Jack offstage. Provenza was just catching up to them as they did.

"I had Patrice call this piece of crap a cab. It should be here soon. Let's get this asshole outside. If we have to cuff him to get him under control while we wait, so be it," Provenza told them as they guided Jack towards the exit.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside of Andy's car, Andy held Sharon as a few tears fell down her face.

"I'm sorry. I'm not even sure why I'm crying. He's a drunk. I know that and I know I should just let what he says roll off my back like I do the rest of the time," said Sharon through her tears.

"Sharon, you have every right to feel however you feel about what just happened. He publicly shamed and humiliated you in front of hundreds of people with things that were completely untrue. I know you've built up a thick skin over the years between dealing with his bullshit and working in FID, but even the best of them would've been upset by what just happened in there. You're allowed to break down. You're allowed to cry. You don't have to be strong all the time. That's why you have me," said Andy as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Through her tears, Sharon said, "You're amazing, Andy Flynn. You know that?"

"I do my best. Especially when it comes to the woman I love," Andy replied.

Sharon smiled faintly through her tears before grabbing Andy's hand and saying, "Let's go home."

"Okay," said Andy as he started the car and put it in gear before looking over at Sharon and rejoining their hands.

* * *

About twenty five minutes later, Andy and Sharon arrived at the parking garage of Sharon's condo building.

Andy put the car in park and killed the engine before he turned towards Sharon and asked, "You wanna talk about it?"

"Yeah, but let's go inside first. I wanna get out of these clothes and into something more comfortable," Sharon replied.

"Okay," said Andy as he opened his door and stepped out while Sharon did the same.

* * *

Once they entered the condo and Rusty saw Sharon's face, he got up from the dining room table and asked, "Mom, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm just gonna go change real quick. I'll be back in a couple minutes," Sharon told him.

"Okay," said Rusty concernedly as Sharon walked down the hall and into her bedroom.

As Rusty saw Andy go into the kitchen to fix Sharon some tea, he asked him, "What the hell happened? She looks like she's been crying."

"She was. Jack showed up to the charity banquet and caused quite a scene onstage," said Andy.

"What did he do?" Rusty asked, knowing it had to be pretty bad for Sharon to be in the state she was currently in.

"Well, first he called her a bitch for supposedly keeping his kids away from him, which we both know is completely untrue. Then, he called her a slut and accused her of screwing around on him with me while they were still married, which again, we all know to be untrue. Oh, and to top it all off, he chose to say all of this in front of hundreds of people we work with, so that was great. I'm sorry, Rusty. It's just been a rough night," Andy told him.

"It's fine. I understand. So, how'd you guys get him out of there?" Rusty asked him.

"Well, if Provenza, Sanchez, Tao, and Buzz hadn't stepped in, I probably would have beat the crap out of him, but they got him off the stage and took him outside. I assume they took his keys and called him a cab to take him home because he sure as hell wasn't in any condition to drive," Andy told him.

"Well, apparently somebody should have taken his phone too," said Rusty.

"Just when I thought this night couldn't get any worse for her. What did he do? Did he call here? Cause I swear to god, if he did, I'll send patrol officers over there right now to throw his ass in jail for harassment," said Andy.

"No. Much worse, actually. Just try not to fly off the handle too much when I tell you this. Apparently, he called both Ricky and Emily tonight when he was drunk and accused them of taking mom's side in the divorce. Then he told them that he was glad that he had stayed away all these years because they were both good for nothing kids anyways," Rusty told him.

Andy began pacing and rubbing his temples as he said, "He actually said that? What the hell is his goddamn problem? Even when I was at my worst when I was drinking, I never said anything like that. Especially to kids."

"So, do you wanna tell mom or should I?" Rusty asked.

"Just give me a minute. I'll talk to her. And Rusty, thanks," said Andy as he went to finish making Sharon's tea.

"No problem. I just figured she'd want to know. I guess they've been trying to call her, but her phone must have been on silent. So, they called me to see where she was," said Rusty.

"How did they sound?" Andy asked Rusty.

"I'd say pretty bad. Ricky was pretty pissed off and Emily was crying," said Rusty.

"Can I just beat the crap out of him already?" Andy asked.

"Believe me, if it wouldn't get us both in trouble with mom, I'd be holding his drunk ass down for you. He's proven time and time again that it is possible to be even more of an asshole than he already is," said Rusty.

"Agreed. Listen, I'll be out in a few minutes. I'm gonna go talk to her and bring her laptop to her," said Andy as he walked down the hall towards Sharon's bedroom.

Once he got there, he pushed the door open and set her tea on the nightstand and the laptop on her bed before Sharon walked in from the bathroom.

Andy took her in his arms before he said, "I brought you some tea."

"Mmhmm. Thank you," said Sharon as she hugged him tighter.

Andy sighed before he said, "Sharon, let's sit down for a minute. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"What?" Sharon asked her voice filled with concern.

"Jack called your kids. Assumedly after Provenza and them put him in a cab because Rusty said that Ricky and Emily told him that Jack was drunk when he called them," Andy told her.

"Oh my god! What did he say to them?" Sharon asked Andy tensely.

Andy took a deep breath before he said, "He accused them of taking your side in the divorce. Then, he proceeded to tell them that he was glad that he had stayed away all these years because they were both good for nothing kids anyway. Sharon, I'm so sorry," Andy told her as he took her hand in his and ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"Andy, give me the strength not to go over there and kill him right now," said Sharon.

"Believe me, the feeling is mutual. Sharon, I'm here for whatever you need. I brought your laptop in with me. I figured you'd want to Skype with them," said Andy.

"Thank you. Did Rusty say anything about how they sounded when they called him?" Sharon asked Andy.

"Yeah. He said Ricky sounded pretty pissed off and that Emily was crying. I just don't understand how anybody could say something like that. Especially to their own children," Andy told her.

"That's because it's beyond comprehension or understanding. It's reprehensible is what it is," said Sharon.

"Yeah. I'm gonna let you talk to your kids. I'll be out in the living room if you need me," Andy told her as he stood up and made his way towards the door.

"Andy," said Sharon.

"Yeah?" Andy asked as he turned back around to face Sharon.

"Thank you. For staying and for everything else you've done tonight. I really appreciate it," said Sharon.

"Like I said before, there's no other place I'd rather be," Andy told her.

Sharon cracked a smile before she said, "Yeah."

Andy smiled back at her before he closed the door behind him and walked back out into the living room.

"How'd she take it?" Rusty asked.

"She was angry and upset of course, but she'll be okay. She's talking with them right now," Andy told Rusty.

"You know, it's weird, but I think the situation Ricky and Emily are dealing with is a lot worse than anything I ever went through with Daniel," said Rusty.

"Well, I would say both were pretty horrifying. I mean beating the crap out of your own kid is just as bad as what Jack did," said Andy.

"Yeah, but at least I haven't had to deal with that my entire life like they have. It's like, if I can't have a good dad, I'd rather not have one at all, you know?" said Rusty.

"Yeah. You're wise beyond your years, you know that?" Andy asked Rusty.

"I mean, I guess," said Rusty.

"I mean it. You should be proud of that. When I was your age, I was getting into trouble and partying too much," said Andy.

"Yeah, I kind of skipped that part, I guess," said Rusty.

"It makes sense though, given what you went through as a kid," said Andy.

"Yeah. I knew I didn't want to end up like my biological mother, that's for sure," said Rusty.

"I think that's common though among addicts or children of addicts. If you're a recovering addict, you know you never want to go back to the place you were at before ever again. If you have a parent who's an addict, you know how it feels to be around somebody with an addiction and you know that's not a place you ever want to be at," Andy told Rusty.

"Yeah. It's kind of difficult to be that way at my age though. I mean, I've never felt the need to drink or do drugs, but a lot of people my age do, you know?" said Rusty.

"Yeah. I think a lot of it has to do with the whole party scene that so many people fall into in high school and college. What you have to understand though is that for most of them, they just see it as experimentation. They've got this newfound freedom and some of them don't know how to handle it so they test the boundaries of what they can handle by drinking a lot and doing drugs. Most of them figure out soon enough though that it's not fun feeling like crap the morning after. Whereas with you and other children who have gone through the experience of having a parent who's an addict, you already know what it does to not only the addict themselves but to the people around them and you know that you don't ever want to be a part of any of that," said Andy.

"I never thought of it that way before, but it makes sense. Thanks," Rusty told him.

"No problem," replied Andy as his phone began to ring.

Andy pulled his phone out of his pocket and said, "It's Provenza. If your mom comes out here, would you let her know I'm out on the balcony?"

"Sure," replied Rusty before Andy answered his phone and headed out to the balcony.

* * *

"Hey," said Andy.

"Hey. How's the Captain?" Provenza asked.

"She'll be okay. It got a lot worse once we got back to the condo though," Andy told him.

"What are you talking about? How could it possibly get any worse?" Provenza asked.

"He called Ricky and Emily afterwards. Let's just say the things he said to them were equally as hateful and vile as his performance earlier," said Andy.

"Ye gods. Flynn, if I would've known he was going to do something like that, we would've taken his phone too," said Provenza.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault he's a complete asshole, and thanks for taking care of that whole situation earlier. I'm not sure I could've done it without hitting him," said Andy.

"Yeah. If it makes you feel better, Sanchez gave him a pretty good shove to get him away from the microphone. Nothing extreme. Just enough to get his attention," Provenza told him.

"Well, you certainly wouldn't find me arguing if they decided to give him an award for that. I'll have to make sure and thank him when I see him on Monday. Listen, I need to go, but I'll talk to you later, and thanks again for what you guys did tonight. We both really appreciate it," Andy told him.

"No problem. I'll see you on Monday," Provenza told him before he hung up.

* * *

Andy walked back into condo and went into the kitchen to grab a can of 7up out of the refrigerator before making his way back in the living room.

"Has she come out of there yet?" Andy asked Rusty.

"No," Rusty answered.

"I'm gonna go check on her. It's getting late. You should probably get some sleep," said Andy.

"Yeah. Are you gonna stay with her?" Rusty asked Andy.

"Yeah, probably. Don't worry. I'll take care of her," Andy told him.

"I know. You're a good guy, Andy. I'm glad mom has somebody in her life that cares about her as much as you do," Rusty told him.

"Thanks, Rusty. That means a lot," Andy told him.

"No problem. Well, goodnight," said Rusty as he began making his way down the hall towards his room.

"Night, Rusty," said Andy before he opened the door to Sharon's room.

When Andy walked in, Sharon looked up and smiled at him.

"Well, we all know who that smile's for. Hi, Andy," said Emily.

"Hi, Emily," said Andy as he sat down next to Sharon on the bed and she moved the laptop over so they were both in view of the camera.

"Hey, Andy. Mom tells us Christmas Eve is going to be quite the production this year," said Ricky.

"Yeah. Her and Nicole talked about it and it was all downhill from there," Andy joked as he looked over at Sharon.

"Looks like mom isn't the only one with a sense of occasion," said Emily.

"Yeah. It'll be fun though. I'm sure they'll come up with something great," said Andy.

"This one's a keeper, mom," Emily told Sharon.

"Oh, don't I know it," said Sharon as she grabbed Andy's hand and rubbed the top of it with her thumb.

"Well, we should let you guys go. It's getting pretty late, but we'll see you guys in a little over a week," said Ricky.

"I'm so excited that both of you are coming home for Christmas! Call me if either of you need to talk before then though," Sharon told them seriously.

"Thanks, mom. Bye, Andy. We'll see you guys soon," said Emily.

"Looking forward to it," said Andy.

"Us too, Andy. Night, Mom," said Ricky.

"Goodnight my wonderful children," said Sharon before she closed out the Skype window and her computer and set the laptop on her nightstand.

As Sharon turned back towards Andy, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him as he placed a kiss against her temple.

"How are they really doing?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Ricky has a lot of anger and resentment towards Jack, which I can't really blame him for. Ricky was only two when Jack left, and with Jack only being intermittently in his life after that, he never really had a stable father in his life. It affects him a lot more than he lets on. So, when things like this happen, he understandably has a lot of anger towards Jack. I just wish he could work through some of that resentment and anger because it's not healthy for him to carry all of that around," said Sharon.

"Feel free to shoot me down on this, but what if I talk to him while he's here for Christmas? It might help him to have someone to talk to who has dealt with addiction before. I mean, it doesn't take away the fact that his father is an addict who refuses to get help, but it might at least help Ricky to understand things better and maybe let some of that built up anger and resentment go," said Andy.

"Yeah. You can give it a shot. Ricky likes you and he seems to respect you. So, maybe you can say something that will get through to him," replied Sharon.

"What about Miss Emily?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Well, with Emily it's a little different. She was five when Jack left. So, she has some memories of him before he decided to check out on being a father, and I don't know if that makes things better or worse. On one hand, she has some memories of him being there for her, but on the other hand, I feel like that can sometimes make it harder for her. She has a few good memories of her father, which she clings to in the hopes that he'll get better. Every time he would try to sober up and fail though, it would crush her. On the other hand though, being the oldest child and now being able to understand things better, I think she realizes that the only person that can help Jack is Jack and that while she still holds out hope that he'll get help, she knows she can't do it for him. So, while it hurts her every time he does something like this, I think she also understands that it's his disease talking and that he's the only one that can make the choice to get better, " said Sharon.

"Still, none of that can be easy for either of them. I mean, after I got sober, I understood to a certain degree how badly my drinking hurt and damaged my kids, but hearing all of this from your view point about how Jack's drinking has affected Ricky and Emily, it gives me a whole different perspective on the effects my drinking had on Nicole and Brandon," Andy told her.

"You've done a lot of that for me too, Andy. I mean it doesn't change the fact that Jack's situation is what it is, but it at least helps me to understand that none of it is my fault. I know it sounds silly, but for years, I always questioned if there was something more I could've done to help him. Thanks to you, I now know that the only person that can help Jack is himself and that nothing I could've done over the years would've changed the outcome of his current situation. You have no idea how much that means to me, Andy," said Sharon.

"I think I have a pretty good idea. Enough about everyone else for now though. How are you really doing with all of this?" Andy asked her.

"Am I embarrassed? Yes. Was it humiliating? Undoubtedly. What upset me the most about it though wasn't what he said though. Was what he said cruel? Yes. What upset me the most about it though, and this might sound kind of silly, but it's what other people are thinking because of his behavior tonight. They're probably questioning why I stayed married to someone like that for so long, or worse, if there is any truth to what he said in his drunken speech," said Sharon.

"That doesn't sound silly at all, Sharon. You're human. You have feelings just like the rest of us and just like everyone else, there's always that small part of you that wonders what people are thinking of you. What I can tell you though, is that the people who matter the most and who know you won't be thinking any of those things and the people who are thinking those things probably aren't worth knowing," Andy told her.

"Yeah. How do you do that?" Sharon asked as she smiled at him.

"What?" Andy asked her

"How do you take a crappy situation like this and manage to get me to smile instead of crying my eyes out?" Sharon asked.

"Like I said before, that's why you have me. I told you earlier that I was here for whatever you need and if that means getting you to smile despite the crappiness of the situation, then I'm glad to have been able to help make that happen," Andy told her.

"I love you, Andy Flynn," said Sharon.

"I love you too, Sharon. Are you ready to go to bed?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah," replied Sharon as Andy got up to change.

Once Andy finished changing into his pajamas and turned the lights off, he crawled back into bed and slipped his arms around Sharon. He kissed her once on the back of the neck and placed the other one on her shoulder before pulling her a little closer to him. Suddenly, Andy felt Sharon turn in his arms until she had her arms around him and they were face to face with each other in the dark. As Andy felt Sharon kiss him, he felt the need to break apart for a moment and clarify something.

"I hope you don't think that I did what I just did because I wanted us to make love. That's not why I did it and I would never want you to think that it was," Andy told her earnestly.

"I know. I just felt like kissing you," Sharon told him before she kissed him again.

When they broke apart for air, Sharon asked Andy, "Wanna make out?"

"Uh huh. I mean, who can say no to that," Andy told Sharon before he kissed her.

They laid there for a while lazily making out with each other.

"Wanna fool around?" Sharon whispered in Andy's ear before she began trailing kisses down his neck.

"Again, an offer I can't refuse. Especially when your lips are against my neck like that," Andy told Sharon before his hands dipped lower until they came to rest against her butt.

"This is fun," Sharon told him as she laughed before her hands slipped underneath his shirt.

"I can't complain," replied Andy as he leaned over and kissed Sharon's lips.

Once they had explored each other's bodies with their hands for a while, Sharon put her lips next to Andy's ear and whispered, "Your shirt's getting in the way."

"Oh really? What's it getting in the way of?" Andy asked her teasingly.

"Having my lips against your chest, among other things," Sharon told Andy before she slipped one of her legs across both of his before running it along his outer thigh.

"Okay, but only under one condition," Andy told her.

"What?" Sharon asked as she continued kissing him.

"If your shirt goes with it," Andy told her.

"I think I can make that happen," Sharon told him before she straddled him and removed her shirt before tossing it onto the floor.

"Your turn," Sharon told Andy as he continued staring at her.

"Were you wearing that tonight under your dress?" Andy asked, referring to the lacy black bra Sharon had just revealed.

"Uh huh. Do you like it?" Sharon asked him.

"Let's just say that if I had watched you get dressed tonight, we probably would've been late," Andy told her.

Sharon laughed before she leaned down to kiss him and whispered, "You should see the bottoms. Of course, you'd have to take your shirt off first. I can't go revealing all of my secrets at once."

Andy quickly helped Sharon remove his shirt before she began placing feather light kisses down Andy's chest.

Sharon could feel Andy playing with the waistband of her pajama pants and whispered, "Patience isn't one of your virtues, is it?"

"Not when I find out my girlfriend is wearing sexy lingerie underneath her clothes. You see, it tends to drive me a little crazy," said Andy.

"I see. Well, maybe I'll have to do that more often," said Sharon as she untied the tie on her pajama pants.

"You won't find any argument from me on that. Although, I feel like you have this unique problem…except it's not exactly a problem. It's more like a superpower actually," said Andy as he continued playing with the now loosened waistband of Sharon's pajama pants.

"And what would that be?" Sharon asked as she began to slide her pajama pants down off her waist a little, exposing a matching pair of black lacy underwear.

"You look so damn good in everything. Whether you're in a sports bra and my dress shirt or sexy lingerie and that little number you wore tonight, it doesn't matter. You're beautiful either way. In fact, I'm pretty sure you could wear a sheet and still make it look sexy," Andy told her.

Sharon chuckled at that before she kissed Andy and asked, "Yeah, but what's under the sheet?"

"That reminds me. I forgot to mention one thing," said Andy before he kissed Sharon.

"And what would that be?" Sharon asked.

"That in addition to looking beautiful in pretty much everything, it also means that you look equally amazing when you're wearing nothing too," said Andy as he quickly flipped them over on the bed so that Sharon was now beneath him.

Sharon laughed before she said, "That can be arranged. Although I might need a little help with that."

"It would be my pleasure," Andy told Sharon before his lips crashed into hers in a passionate kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Andy was the first to wake up. He looked over at the clock on Sharon's nightstand and saw that it was around 8 a.m. He placed a kiss first, along her collarbone and another on her shoulder before he heard her begin to stir.

Sharon chuckled sleepily before she said, "Be careful. You know where that led last night."

"And whose fault was that? You're the one that started kissing me," said Andy as he placed a kiss behind Sharon's ear.

"If I recall correctly, I believe it was you who kissed me first," said Sharon.

"Okay, I'll give you that one. Like I said though, making love was never the intention behind it. I just wanted to let you know I cared and that I was there for you," replied Andy.

"It wasn't exactly my intention either. I just felt like kissing you and it built from there. You know, a certain someone once told me that's the best way of making love. When you feel so drawn to someone that it just happens naturally. Even when you don't plan on it happening," Sharon told Andy.

"It really is. So, what do you have planned for today?" Andy asked her.

"I brought home some paperwork I need to finish up, but other than that, not too much. Why? What did you have planned?" Sharon asked him.

"Nothing. I was actually planning on leaving after breakfast. I need to get a few errands done before we go back to work tomorrow," said Andy.

"Holiday errands?" Sharon asked him.

"Maybe. Anyways, you should spend some time with Rusty today. He was pretty worried about you last night. I don't think he's used to seeing you break down like that," Andy told her.

"Yeah. It doesn't happen too often and when it does, it's usually not in front of my kids," said Sharon.

"Yeah. I think that's just a parent thing. We always wanna appear strong in front of our kids," replied Andy.

"Thank you, again," Sharon told him before she kissed him.

"For what? All I did was take care of the woman I love after she had a crappy night. I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else," Andy told her.

"Sometimes, I'm not sure if you're foolish or you just like a challenge. Cause nobody in their right mind would stay with someone with as much baggage as I have," said Sharon.

"At our age, we all have baggage. It's kind of unavoidable at this point in our lives. If we're talking about you personally though, I don't think you have that much baggage. You're just a beautiful woman with three great kids who hasn't always been treated the way she should have been," Andy told her before he kissed her.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," Sharon told him before she kissed Andy back.

"Even if that was true, there would be no turning back now," said Andy.

"And let me guess, you wouldn't have it any other way," said Sharon.

"I really wouldn't. If that makes me crazy, so be it. Cause I don't plan on being anywhere else," Andy told her.

"Me either. I guess that means you're stuck with me," Sharon told him.

"There's nobody else I'd rather be stuck with," replied Andy. 

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing!


	10. Here to Stay

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry it's taken me so long to update this story. My original intention was to take a 2-3 week hiatus from this story to regroup and then get back to writing it. Unfortunately, life had other ideas and then when there was finally time to get back to it, my brain was struck with a horrible case of writers block. The point is, I'm finally back at it now and should be updating pretty regularly (probably every 2-3 weeks or so) as I am currently trying to balance writing two multi chapter fics at once). Anyways, enjoy!

 **Chapter 10: Here to Stay**

Sharon had been a little stressed last week about where everybody was going to sleep when Ricky and Emily came home for Christmas. Her condo wasn't very big and it didn't afford a lot of sleeping space. Sure, they'd made it work in the past, with Emily sleeping on the couch and Ricky sleeping on an air mattress, but she didn't want to do that this year. Her two oldest children were coming home more often now and even though they'd never complained, she wanted to make sure they were comfortable.

So, one night last week when she had been discussing the matter with Andy, he had offered her a simple solution: If they were all comfortable with the idea, everybody could stay at his place while Ricky and Emily were here. He had a large couch in the living room plus two extra bedrooms. Initially, Sharon was hesitant about the idea. She had not wanted to impose on Andy in that way. She pointed out to him that if they all stayed there, they would literally be taking over his entire house. He had told her that he really didn't mind as long as Ricky, Emily, and Rusty were comfortable with staying there, but it wasn't until Andy pointed out to Sharon the added benefit of her getting to sleep in the same bed with him every night for over a week that she agreed to bring up the idea to the three of them. When she had, they were all totally cool with the idea and agreed that it made a lot of sense to have everybody in one place.

* * *

It was now a couple of days before Christmas. Ricky had arrived in Los Angeles earlier that day and he and Rusty had just picked up Emily from the airport and were currently on their way back to Andy's house.

So, as the three of them made their way towards Andy's house in Echo Park, Emily stuck her head forward from the back seat and asked Rusty, "So, what's the latest with Mom and Andy?"

"What are you talking about?" Rusty asked Emily.

"We're not here all the time like you are little brother. So, when we come home, we like to know what's been going on since we were last here. You know mom doesn't spill any details, not even to Emily," said Ricky.

"And what makes you think I know anything? If you want a play by play, ask one of them," Rusty told them.

"Come on, Rusty. Give us something," Emily begged him.

"Okay. Did mom tell you about what happened that night when she Skyped you guys a couple of weeks ago?" Rusty asked them.

"What are you talking about?" Ricky asked him.

"Never mind," said Rusty.

"No way little brother. Spill," Emily told him.

"Okay, but promise me you guys won't fly off the handle when I tell you this," Rusty told them, although the statement was aimed at Ricky more than Emily.

Sure, whatever," said Ricky.

"Okay, so that night mom and Andy went to some LAPD charity banquet thing. When mom came home she looked like she'd been crying. So, when she went to go change, I asked Andy about it. I guess your dad showed up to the charity banquet drunk and he got up on stage and said some really ugly things about mom," Rusty told them.

"Like what?" Emily asked him apprehensively.

"Apparently, he started out by calling her a bitch for supposedly keeping you guys away from him all these years," Rusty began.

"Seriously?" Emily asked frustratedly.

"Oh my god! He's such a fucking liar. If anything, mom tried to make sure Emily and I had a relationship with him growing up. He's the one who made that next to impossible by drinking and gambling all the time. Plus, even if that were true, I wouldn't blame mom for it. She wasn't just going to leave us in the care of Jack who couldn't even take care of himself," said Ricky.

"Did he say anything else?" Emily asked Rusty.

"Unfortunately that wasn't the worst of it. I guess after that he proceeded to call mom a slut and accused her of messing around on him with Andy while they were still married, which we all know is also complete crap," said Rusty.

"Even if it wasn't, who gives a shit. He left her to raise two children on her own so he could drink and gamble his life away in Vegas. She gave him multiple chances and time and time again he disappointed her by refusing to stay sober and get help. Mom may not have said very much, but each time he left her, I saw how hurt and disappointed she was and she still didn't divorce him for over twenty years. So, even if she had decided to have a little fun during that time, it's not like anyone would really blame her. It's not like Jack probably wasn't off doing the same thing that he insists on accusing her of," replied Emily.

"Exactly," replied Ricky as he high fived his sister.

"I agree. The point I'm trying to make though is that Andy was really there for mom that night. After they got back from the charity banquet, he made mom tea and stayed the night just to make sure she was alright," Rusty told them.

"I'm not surprised. Mom's face lights up with the biggest smile whenever he's in the room and Andy looks at her like she's the sun. It's actually really adorable," said Emily.

"Yeah, Andy's a good guy. I don't remember the last time I saw mom this happy," replied Ricky.

"They're really good for each other. You can tell that they really love and care about each other," Rusty told them as he continued driving towards Andy's house.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Rusty pulled up in front of Andy's house. Ricky had followed Rusty over there earlier and dropped his car off before they went to the airport to pick up Emily. After they each grabbed their bags, they began making their way towards the house. Rusty opened the front door and saw the scene before him. Sharon and Andy were standing in the kitchen making out against the counter.

"Seriously?" Rusty asked rhetorically before Sharon and Andy quickly broke apart.

"Yeah. There's this thing called a bedroom. It has walls and a door and even a lock if you're really worried about someone walking in on you," Ricky joked.

"I don't know why either of you are surprised at this point. They're in love. People that are in love tend to make out a lot. Get over it. Plus, like I said before, Mom deserves to have some fun," Emily told them.

"Can I give her a medal now?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Stop it," Sharon told him as she playfully slapped his arm.

"What?" Andy asked her.

"You're encouraging their behavior," Sharon told him.

"Okay. She's right though," Andy told Sharon.

Sharon rolled her eyes and smiled at him before she turned to her children and said, "The three of you better get over here so I can hug you."

They each hugged her before Andy said, "Okay, there's a guest bedroom down the hall with a bed in it that I figured we'd let Emily have."

"Ha! Pays to be the favorite," Emily gloated to Ricky and Rusty.

"I'd say something rude, but I'm a gentleman," Ricky told her.

"Ha!" exclaimed Emily.

"That's really hilarious, Ricky," Rusty told him.

"Okay, enough," Sharon told them.

"As for the two of you, you have two options. One of you can sleep on the futon in the spare room and the other can take the couch or you can share the couch. As you can see there's plenty of room on that couch for each of you to have your own sleeping space," Andy told Ricky and Rusty.

"I think Ricky and I can both agree that we're gonna share the couch," Rusty told Andy.

"Yeah," Ricky agreed.

"You two are weird. Both of you could literally have your own room to sleep in and you still choose to share a sleeping space," said Emily.

"That doesn't make us weird. It makes us smart," said Rusty.

"Yeah, think about it Em. We're gonna be here for over a week. Mom and Andy can barely keep their hands off each other. Neither Rusty or I feel like traumatizing ourselves by sleeping in the room next to theirs and hearing god knows what," Ricky pointed out.

As Andy desperately tried to stifle a laugh, Sharon glared at him before turning her glare on Ricky and asked, "Richard William Raydor, are you done?"

"Sorry, mom," Ricky replied.

"Well, if you guys wanna get settled, dinner should be ready soon," Andy told them.

"Awesome cause I'm starving," said Rusty.

"What are you guys cooking?" Emily asked Sharon and Andy.

"Honey garlic shrimp and broccoli over pasta," replied Sharon.

"Oh my god! That sounds so good," said Emily.

In the midst of the conversation, Andy noticed that Ricky had slipped out the door that led to the backyard. He quietly excused himself and made his way outside. When he walked out there, he saw Ricky sitting in one of the patio chairs.

"Everything okay?" Andy asked him.

"Yeah. It's nothing important. Jack Raydor is just a shitty person that's all. Not much has changed there," said Ricky.

"Did something else happen after you talked to your mom a couple weeks ago?" Andy asked him.

"No. On the way over here, Rusty told us about what happened a couple weeks ago at the charity banquet. It just makes me so angry. I don't understand how anybody can be that vile of a person. I guess I should be used to it by now though, huh?" Ricky asked him.

"No. That's not the kind of behavior you should ever get used to or accept from anyone. What he did was beyond appalling and if I'm being honest, all I saw was red in that moment. If Provenza and the guys hadn't taken care of the situation, I probably would have and it wouldn't have been pretty. I know it's not much of a consolation, but what you have to realize is your father-" Andy began before Ricky cut him off.

"Jack," Ricky corrected him.

"Okay. What you have to realize is that Jack has a disease and his appalling actions are a result of that. It doesn't excuse his horrifying behavior or the vile things he insists on spewing at you, Emily, or your mother, but it does in some small way explain why. What you have to realize too is that you have power over this situation. Jack may refuse help and that's his choice. You can't change that or make him get help that he doesn't want. What you can do though is set boundaries with him and decide how much you're willing to let him and his issues into your life at this point. I can't speak for him or predict the future, but I know when I was having similar issues, it took my ex-wife keeping my kids away from me to realize that I had a problem and that I needed to get help for it," said Andy.

"Yeah. I guess all of that can sometimes get lost in the anger and resentment of the situation. Thanks, Andy," said Ricky.

"No problem. If you ever need anybody to talk to about stuff like that or anything really, you can always talk to me or call me or whatever the case may be," Andy told him.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," said Ricky.

Just then, Sharon asked from the doorway, "Are you two ready to eat?"

Ricky got up, walked over to Sharon, and hugged her as he said, "Yeah. Thanks, mom."

"For what?" Sharon asked him.

"For being the best mom in the world," Ricky told her.

Sharon tried to keep her tears at bay before she hugged him and said, "Oh, Ricky. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you."

"Love you too, mom," replied Ricky before he broke the hug and began making his way towards the table.

"And you…I swear the two of you have some sort of conspiracy going where you're trying to make me cry tonight," Sharon said to Andy.

"Not intentionally. I take it you heard that," said Andy as he wrapped his arms around Sharon's lower back in the doorway.

"Not all of it. Just enough to make me wanna cry," Sharon told him.

"Happy tears I hope," said Andy.

"Of course. Andy…I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am that you did what you just did. You took it upon yourself to be there for Ricky when you didn't have to and I can't tell you how much that means to me. He's never really had a father figure in his life that he could talk to about stuff like that and get advice from. It just makes me so happy to know that he has someone like you to go to with stuff like this because as much as I wish I could, I can't fill the hole that's been left in his and Emily's lives as a result of their father's actions," Sharon told him.

"I'm happy to help. Ricky's a great kid. All three of them are great kids and they have the best mom any kid could hope to have," Andy told Sharon.

In that moment, as a few stray tears streamed down her face, Sharon pulled Andy toward her and kissed him.

A minute later, Rusty asked from the table, "Are we gonna eat or are you guys gonna stand there and make out all night?"

As Sharon and Andy broke apart and turned towards them, Andy replied jokingly, "I'm not sure. That's a tough choice to make."

Sharon playfully slapped Andy's shoulder before they began walking towards the table.

"What? I was just answering his question," Andy told her as they sat down at the table.

"Yeah, mom. Little brother walked right into that one," said Ricky.

"Can we eat in peace, please?" Sharon asked them before everybody began eating their meal.

"As long as you don't expect it to be quiet," muttered Rusty.

"Up top, little brother," Ricky told Rusty before they high fived.

"Plus, let's face it, with these two around, it's never quiet," said Emily in reference to her brothers.

"And when it is, it usually means trouble," Sharon added.

"Mom!" both Ricky and Rusty exclaimed.

"Come on guys, you know it's true," said Andy.

"Whose side are you on?" Rusty asked as he jokingly pretended to be insulted.

"The side that doesn't have him sleeping on the futon tonight," Ricky told Rusty as they all continued eating their meal.

* * *

After dinner, Rusty, Ricky, and Emily decided to watch Elf on Netflix, while Sharon and Andy were in the kitchen doing dishes. As Sharon set the last of the dishes next to the sink for Andy to wash, she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Are you trying to distract me?" Andy asked her.

"Maybe," said Sharon as she released her hold on him and grabbed a dish towel before leaning her back against the counter and drying the bowl Andy handed her.

"Well, just so you know, it doesn't take much for you to distract me," Andy told her.

"Oh, really? Care to share some examples," Sharon asked him curiously.

"Well, when we're at work, it usually starts when I hear the click of your heels. Then, I can usually tell when you're getting closer because I'll catch a whiff of your perfume. That's usually when I look up and our eyes meet and I smile at you which makes you smile at me. Oh, and that whole leaning thing you do isn't too bad either," Andy told her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Sharon teasingly.

"So, it is on purpose," said Andy.

"Maybe," replied Sharon.

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Just remember, two can play that game," Andy told her.

"I'm looking forward to it. What about when we're not at work?" Sharon asked him.

"Hmm…well that's a significantly longer list," said Andy.

"We've got time. I'm here for the next eight days, remember?" Sharon pointed out as her and Andy began putting the clean dishes away.

"All the more reason to space them out," said Andy.

"Okay, but you can at least give me something," replied Sharon.

"You wearing my dress shirts," said Andy.

"We're back to this again?" Sharon asked him.

"Hey! It's not my fault you look so good in them. Plus, for me, it's sort of a sentimental thing," Andy told her.

Sharon smiled before she said, "The first time we made love."

"Yeah. So, you can be sentimental about the tux and I'll be sentimental about you wearing my dress shirts. That way we'll be sentimental fools together," said Andy.

Sharon chuckled at that as she grabbed Andy and pulled him towards her as she said, "This is why I love you."

Andy hands settled against Sharon's back before he said, "I love you too. We better get in there before they catch us making out again."

"Yeah," said Sharon as she smiled at Andy before he let go of her and she turned around to make her way towards the living room.

As Andy stood there and smiled to himself for a moment, he wondered what it was exactly that he had ever done to deserve a woman as wonderful as Sharon. She was the Princess Leia to his Han Solo. The Stands with a Fist to his Dances with Wolves. The Lois Lane to his Clark Kent. The Captain to his Lieutenant. More importantly though, they were Sharon and Andy, and he had to admit, that was the one he loved the most.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. Thanks for reading and reviewing and for sticking with me through the lack of updating over the last (almost) two months! It is greatly appreciated!


	11. Best Christmas Gift Ever

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: So, I know it's been a long time since I've updated this story, but I'm finally back and wanted to let you know there will be one more chapter after this and then an epilogue chapter before this story is finished. Anyways, here's a new chapter for you guys. Enjoy!

 **Chapter 11: Best Christmas Gift Ever**

The next morning, Andy was the first to wake up. He pulled Sharon closer as he leaned over and placed a kiss against the sensitive spot behind her ear. She stirred for a moment before rolling over to look at him.

"Good morning," said Andy.

"Morning. What time is it?" Sharon asked him.

"About 6:30," replied Andy.

"Mmhmm. How long have you been awake?" Sharon asked as she smiled at him sleepily.

"Not too long. I was thinking about getting up and taking a shower, but the bed feels so nice I didn't wanna get up," said Andy.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that I'm laying in your bed right now, would it?" Sharon asked Andy teasingly.

"Oh, it has everything to do with the fact that you're lying in my bed right now. It feels empty when you're not here," Andy told her.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that for the next seven days. I'll be lying next to you every night," replied Sharon.

"Best Christmas gift ever," said Andy as he smiled at Sharon before kissing her.

After a minute, Sharon broke the kiss and hummed before she said, "I have a solution to your problem."

"What problem? I've got the woman I love in my arms and in my bed for the next week. So, the way I see it things couldn't be better at the moment," said Andy.

"Yeah, that is pretty great, but if we have any hope of being productive today, we're going to have to get out of this bed at some point," Sharon told him.

"What did you have in mind?" Andy asked Sharon curiously.

Sharon got up and began walking towards the master bathroom before she turned around in the doorway and said, "Meet me in the shower and you'll find out."

Andy smiled and shook his head for a moment before quickly getting out of bed and following Sharon into the shower.

* * *

After they showered and got dressed, Andy left Sharon in the bathroom to do her hair and makeup while he made his way down the hall towards the kitchen to start breakfast. He started a pot of coffee before making his way towards the fridge to grab all the ingredients he would need to make a spinach and tomato frittata.

After Andy whisked the eggs and poured them into the skillet, he dropped some spinach into the egg mixture before cutting up some tomato and adding that to the mixture as well. Just as he was pouring himself a cup of coffee, Emily walked into the kitchen in her pajamas.

"Good morning," Andy said to Emily.

"Morning," replied Emily.

"You want some coffee?" Andy asked Emily.

"Sure," replied Emily as Andy grabbed a mug out of the cabinet and poured some coffee into it before he handed the cup to Emily.

"There's creamer in the fridge and the sugar is in the small canister next to the coffee maker," Andy told her.

"Thanks, Andy," replied Emily before she opened the fridge to grab the creamer and stirred it into her coffee.

"No problem," replied Andy.

"Where's mom?" Emily asked him.

"She's in the bathroom doing her hair and makeup," replied Andy.

"Which means she'll be a while," said Rusty as he and Ricky walked into the kitchen.

"Agreed, little brother," said Ricky as he went to grab some coffee.

"You better not let your mom hear you talking like that," said Andy.

"What? You know it's true," said Rusty.

"It doesn't matter whether it takes her five minutes or over an hour. She looks beautiful either way," Andy told Rusty.

"See, that's how you answer that question. You two could learn a thing or two from Andy," said Emily.

"I don't like to brag, but I do pretty well on my own," said Ricky conceitedly.

"Which is exactly why you're still single," replied Emily.

"That is so not true! I just prefer to be a lone wolf, that's all," said Ricky.

At that moment, Rusty couldn't help but laugh at Ricky's statement.

Ricky looked at Rusty before saying, "Why are you laughing? I don't see you changing your relationship status on Facebook or anything. So, we're in the same boat here, little brother."

At that moment, Andy tried to look anywhere but where the conversation was being held for fear that he might start laughing at just how wrong Ricky was. Emily picked up on this and pretty quickly figured out that their little brother might be keeping a secret from them.

"What's his name?" Emily asked Rusty.

"What? Who?" Rusty asked her.

"The secret boyfriend you've been trying to hide from us," replied Emily.

"I do not have a secret boyfriend. Why would you even think that?" Rusty asked Emily.

"Because when Ricky mentioned you being single, Andy tried to look anywhere but over here. Probably so he wouldn't laugh at how wrong this other brother of mine was," replied Emily.

"Thanks a lot, Andy," said Rusty.

"Hey, I was trying to respect your privacy by not saying anything. What does it matter anyways? These two detectives over here would've figured it out eventually when they met him this afternoon at Nicole and Dean's house," Andy pointed out.

"Wait, he's coming to Christmas Eve dinner?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. His name's Gus and you both better be nice to him," replied Rusty.

"Oh, I'm so grilling this guy today," Ricky said excitedly.

"No, you're not. Otherwise, I'm telling mom. You remember what she almost did last time you threatened to do this," said Rusty.

"Tell mom what?" Sharon asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"They found out about Gus," Andy told her.

"Well, it's not like they weren't going to find out about him today anyway," said Sharon.

"What the heck mom?" asked Rusty.

"Looks like she's not on your side as much as you thought," Ricky told Rusty.

"Yeah, well she won't be on your side either once I tell her what you're planning on doing," said Rusty.

"Would someone like to tell me what's going on?" Sharon asked.

"Ricky's planning another interrogation," Emily told her.

"Richard William Raydor, you will do no such thing," Sharon told him as she cast her best Darth Raydor glare in his direction.

"Okay. Jeez," replied Ricky.

* * *

It was around 11am when Sharon, Andy, Ricky, Emily, and Rusty arrived at Nicole and Dean's house. Brandon was already there and everyone exchanged the customary greetings before splitting off into three separate groups. Rusty, Ricky, and Brandon made themselves comfortable in the living room and switched on a movie while Dean and Andy were on babysitting duty playing Legos with Ben and Finn.

Meanwhile, Sharon, Emily, and Nicole were in the kitchen getting stuff ready for the festivities later on that day.

"So, on a scale of 1-10, how excited are the boys about Christmas now that it's almost here?" Sharon asked Nicole.

"At least an 11. Especially this past week," replied Nicole.

"It's so fun when they're that age. They get excited about the simplest things. Especially when it's Christmastime and there's so much activity going on," said Sharon.

"Yeah. It was really fun to watch their eyes light up when we decorated the house and set up the Christmas tree a few weeks ago," replied Nicole.

"I bet. Speaking of those two munchkins, did your dad tell you how I lost it when I watched that video you sent me of them a couple weeks ago?" Sharon asked Nicole.

"No," replied Nicole as she chuckled at Sharon's question.

"What video?" Emily asked them.

"Well, a couple weeks ago, your mom and my dad joined us at the park and the boys, especially Finn, took a liking to Sharon," Nicole began.

"Finn likes police cars and was telling us he wants to be a police officer when he grows up. I opened my big mouth and said something about lighting a candle now and Finn picked up on it and asked what it meant," Sharon continued.

"So, I explained to him what your mom meant by that. Anyways, that night we sent her this video," said Nicole as she set her phone down in front of Emily and hit play on the video.

After the video finished playing, Emily said, "Aww…that's the sweetest thing ever."

"You really cried?" Nicole asked Sharon.

"Like a baby," replied Sharon.

"You'll learn pretty quickly that mom's the most sentimental person to ever walk this earth," Emily told Nicole.

At that, Sharon face broke into a massive smile as she thought back to her conversation in the kitchen with Andy the previous evening. Both Emily and Nicole noticed Sharon smiling and looked at each other in confusion for a moment before one of them decided to break Sharon out of her reverie.

"Sharon?" Nicole asked.

"What?" Sharon asked Nicole as she quickly shifted her focus back to the conversation.

"I think both Emily and I were wondering what that huge smile that was on your face a minute ago was all about," Nicole told Sharon.

"As if we even have to ask at this point. You should've seen the two of them last night after we got back from the airport," Emily said to Nicole.

"Oh! Details!" Nicole exclaimed.

"Let's just say we caught them making out…more than once," replied Emily.

"Tell me again why the two of you are so interested in the details of my relationship with Andy," said Sharon questioningly.

"Because you two lovebirds have the most adorable relationship ever," replied Nicole.

"Agreed. So, mom, what were you smiling about before?" Emily asked Sharon.

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Sharon asked her.

"Nope. I am my mother's daughter after all," replied Emily.

"Well, if the two of you must know, I was smiling because Andy and I just had a conversation last night about being a couple of sentimental old fools," replied Sharon.

"Oh! Do tell," replied Nicole.

"Well, a couple weeks ago, when your dad and I went to that Christmas charity banquet, I got really sentimental because he was wearing the tux he wore when he brought me with him to your wedding a few years ago," Sharon told Nicole.

"Aww…" replied Nicole.

See, cutest couple ever," Emily pointed out.

"So, I'm curious. What's dad sentimental about?" Nicole asked Sharon.

"Dress shirts," replied Sharon as her face broke into another huge smile.

"Care to elaborate?" Emily asked.

"Nope," replied Sharon.

* * *

A few hours later, as the three women were mixing up the ingredients to make three different kinds of cookie dough, Emily peeked her head out the window and saw a touching scene outside in the backyard. Finn and Ben were playing baseball with Ricky as the pitcher, Brandon playing outfield, and Andy behind Finn helping him swing the plastic bat in his hand.

"Oh my god! You guys have to see this!" exclaimed Emily.

As Nicole strode over to the window and saw the scene outside, she chuckled before she said, "Sharon get over here. You're gonna wanna see this."

As Sharon wiped her hands off on a towel while she looked out the window, she couldn't help but smile at the scene before her as she said, "Aww…look at them. That's so adorable."

"We should take a break and go out there," said Nicole.

"Let's go," replied Emily as the three women headed outside.

Once they walked out onto the patio, they each took a seat at the table Dean and Rusty were sitting at watching the baseball game. Andy looked over from where he was standing in the yard with Finn and smiled when his eyes met Sharon's. He quickly turned his attention back towards helping Finn.

"Okay, Finn. Sharon's watching now. That means we have to hit it past Uncle Brandon so we can impress her, okay," said Andy.

"How do we do that Grandpa?" asked Finn.

"Just follow my lead, buddy. Ready, go," said Andy as he helped Finn hit the ball hard enough for it to go past Brandon.

When it happened, everyone cheered for Finn. Andy picked him up and put him on his shoulders.

After almost everyone congratulated Finn, Sharon walked up to them and said, "That was a great hit, Finn."

"Thanks, but Grandpa helped," replied Finn.

"High five, Finn," Andy told him as he raised his hand so Finn could high five him.

"Oh, he did, did he?" Sharon asked Finn as she gave Andy a knowing look.

"Yeah. He said we had to hit it past Uncle Brandon so we could impress you," Finn told her.

"Well you still did a great job. As for Grandpa, he's okay too," said Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

Just then, Finn leaned down and whispered something in Andy's ear. Andy laughed before he told Finn, "Well, I'm going have to set you down if that's gonna happen."

"Okay," replied Finn before Andy set him down in a chair at the patio table.

Sharon gave Andy a confused look before he walk over to her and wrapped one arm around her waist as he leaned over and kissed the side of her forehead.

"How'd I do Finn?" Andy asked him.

A moment later, Finn gave Andy two thumbs up.

"I'm almost afraid to ask what that's about," said Nicole to her dad.

"He told me to go kiss Sharon. So, I did," Andy explained.

"Yeah, like that took a lot of convincing," said Rusty.

"So true little brother," said Ricky.

"You guys did end up on the kiss cam at Dodger Stadium on your second date, so there's really no arguing that point, dad," Brandon told Andy.

"Second official date at least," said Nicole.

"Because we all know you guys were not dating at least a year before that," added Emily as she made air quotes to emphasize the not dating part.

"Yeah…even before you guys officially started dating you talked about Sharon all the time," said Dean.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll treat my daughter with the same sense of chivalrous respect. Otherwise…" Andy trailed off.

"Would you stop? They're messing with you. Like I've said before, we're at more than a slight disadvantage here. So, it would probably be best to start getting used to it now," Sharon told Andy.

"Yeah, cause let's face it, you guys already act like you're practically married," said Ricky.

"Okay, enough. Who wants to make cookies?" Sharon asked everyone.

"Me!" exclaimed both Ben and Finn.

"Okay. We have to wash our hands first, but after that we can make cookies," Sharon told them as she led Ben and Finn towards the kitchen.

* * *

While everyone else piled into the living room to watch a Christmas movie, Sharon, Andy, Ben, and Finn were in the kitchen washing their hands in preparation to make cookies. After their hands were washed and dried. Sharon showed Ben and Finn how to roll the chocolate chip cookie dough into a ball with their hands. As Sharon was demonstrating, Andy came up behind her and plucked the small ball of dough out of her hand before adding a bit more to it and sticking it back in Sharon's hand.

As Andy laced his fingers with Sharon's, he began helping her roll out the larger ball of dough as he told the boys, " And if you wanna make a bigger cookie, all you have to do is add a little more dough to it."

"Don't listen to grandpa about that. He can be a bad influence," Sharon told them as she elbowed Andy and put the extra dough back in the bowl before starting to roll out a smaller cookie.

Andy leaned over and very softly whispered in Sharon's ear, "That's not what you were saying this morning in the shower."

Sharon blushed slightly before she said, "Andy! Stop."

"What did you say to Sharon, grandpa?" Finn asked him.

"Yeah, grandpa. What did you just tell Sharon," said Sharon to Andy as she gave him a pointed look.

"I told her she was beautiful. Girls like that," Andy told them as he winked at Sharon.

"So, does that mean you and Sharon love each other?" asked Ben.

"Yes," replied Andy.

"Very much. Even if he drives me crazy sometimes," added Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

"So, if you love her, why don't you get married like dad and Nic?" Finn asked.

"Well…you see…it's a little more complicated than that," began Andy.

"Yeah. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you should get married, although that is a big part of it. You also need to get to know someone really well before you get married and your Grandpa and I don't even live together. So, we've got a ways to go before that can happen," Sharon explained.

"Well then why don't you and Grandpa just move in together?" Ben asked Sharon.

"Well, just like getting married, moving in together is a big step," began Andy.

"Yes. Both people have to be ready to take that step. A lot of things change when two people move in together. You learn all kinds of things about them and probably some you wish you didn't know," Sharon told them.

"Like what?" Finn asked her.

"Like how smelly their shoes are," said Sharon.

"Hey!" exclaimed Andy.

"I wasn't talking about you. I was just using it as an example," Sharon told Andy.

"Making cookies is hard work," Ben commented.

"I just like to eat them," added Finn.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Finn," said Andy.

"That's fine. I'll have the kids help me finish up while you and Dean watch the boys," Sharon told Andy.

"Okay. I'll send them your way," Andy told Sharon as he smiled at her.

* * *

As Ricky, Rusty, Brandon, Nicole, and Emily were helping Sharon roll out cookies, Nicole asked Sharon, "How were the boys?"

"They were fine. They had fun, but they're young, so of course after a while they got distracted and wanted to go play. I figured I'd send your dad along with them to help Dean out. He was probably anxious to get out of the hot seat anyway," replied Sharon.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked her.

"Well, Andy was showing the boys how to make bigger cookies and I told them not to listen to him and that he was being a bad influence and he whispered something in my ear which I will not repeat," said Sharon.

"Thank god," said Rusty.

"Anyways, Finn wanted to know what Andy said, so he made up some line about telling me I was beautiful and then Ben asked if that meant that Andy and I loved each other and we told him very much so. Which led Finn to ask why we weren't married like Nicole and Dean. I could totally tell Andy was having a deer in the headlights moment because he would formulate part of an answer and then I ended up taking over the rest of the explanation. So, towards the end of my answer I mentioned something about us having a long way to go before we even thought about getting married and that we didn't even live together yet. Well, that led to Ben asking why we don't move in together and your dad explained that like marriage, moving in together is a big step and I explained to them that both people have to be ready to take that step," said Sharon.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry," said Nicole.

"Don't be sorry. It's totally okay. They're young and inquisitive. It was actually kind of amusing to watch your dad caught off guard like that," Sharon told Nicole.

"Yeah, why don't the two of you live together? I mean you and Andy are always together. He's either at the condo or you're at his place," Rusty pointed out.

"Yeah, mom. Why is that? I mean you are staying at his place for a whole week," said Ricky.

"Richard William Raydor, you do not want to interrogate me about this. In fact, I have a bone to pick with you," Sharon told him.

"What did I do? I went easy on Andy before, I'm not gonna grill Rusty's new boyfriend. The way I see it, I've been a model son lately," replied Ricky.

"I'm blaming you for that set of questions Ben and Finn asked earlier," Sharon told him

"What? You can't blame me for that. I didn't tell them to ask those questions," said Ricky.

"Yeah, but you did make that comment about them practically being married. That's probably where they got the idea from," suggested Brandon.

"What? You can't be serious," Ricky told his mother.

"I am. Kids that age pick up on everything," Sharon told him.

"Everything," said Nicole.

"You're not gonna win this battle, Ricky. We women may be outnumbered here, but we're a force to be reckoned with," Emily told him.

"That's so true," replied Nicole.

* * *

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Andy got up from the couch to answer it as Rusty headed towards the living room.

"Gus. Nice to see you again. Come on in," Andy told him as he opened the door to greet him.

"Nice to see you again too, Lieutenant. Merry Christmas," said Gus as he entered Nicole and Dean's house.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Gus. I think Rusty's in the kitchen," Andy told him as they started to walk in that direction.

"Nope. I'm right here," said Rusty as he walked into the living room.

"Hey. Merry Christmas," said Gus to Rusty.

"Merry Christmas. What's with the flowers?" Rusty asked him.

"Well, one is for the hostess and the other one is for your mother. I wasn't sure what to bring and since I'm still getting settled into my apartment, I wasn't really in a position to make something," Gus explained.

"That's totally okay," Rusty told him understandingly.

"Yeah, Sharon and Nicole will love them. Let's go in the kitchen so you can meet everyone," said Andy.

"I'll warn you, there's kind of a lot of them," said Rusty.

"That's okay. I'm excited to meet the rest of your family," said Gus as they walked towards the kitchen.

* * *

After dinner was served that night, Sharon and Andy volunteered to do the dishes. Both Nicole and Dean protested for a moment before Sharon pointed out that they had two little ones to enjoy the season with and they should take advantage of the downtime they had now because tomorrow was sure to be super busy for them. They eventually relented and let Sharon and Andy clean up the mess in the kitchen as they went to sit in the living room with everybody else.

"You guys have a great family here. You can tell it's filled with lots of love and joy, which is what a family should be like. I appreciate being invited to be a part of it tonight," Gus told them as they all sat in the living room.

"Well, it hasn't always been that way…for any of us really…but it is pretty awesome, isn't it?" Ricky asked.

"It is. That's all thanks to Sharon and my dad though. There's a lot of happiness and love between them and that seems to just overflow onto all of us," Nicole told Gus.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, as Sharon was washing the dishes and Andy was drying them, Sharon and Andy both overheard what the kids had just said in the next room. Sharon suddenly set the plate back in the sink and gripped the edge of the countertop as tears began streaming down her face.

Andy, noticing this, set the towel and the dish he was drying down on the counter before he wrapped his arms around Sharon and said as his voice slightly cracked, "We did that. Mostly you though."

Sharon shook her head against Andy's shoulder before she raised her head to look at Andy and said, "No. We did that. Together. Despite the struggles all of our kids have gone through at one point or another, they've all turned out to be amazing people. We may have found each other later in life, but together we've managed to begin healing all of our children's collective pain of the past with love and understanding and a whole lot of happiness."

It was then that Andy leaned down and captured Sharon's lips in a kiss filled with so much meaning that no words were needed.

* * *

Once Sharon, Andy, Ricky, Emily, and Rusty got back to Andy's house and everyone settled in for the night, Sharon and Andy got ready for bed.

As Sharon sat next to Andy in bed and leaned her head against his shoulder she said, "Today was amazing."

As Andy leaned over and pulled something out of the drawer of his nightstand, he said "The day's not over yet."

Sharon smiled at Andy as he sat the small wrapped box in front of her. She got up from the bed for a second and grabbed a somewhat large Christmas gift bag before returning to the bed and setting it in front of Andy.

"Well, it's definitely pretty clear who has the bigger sense of occasion in this relationship," Andy joked.

"It's nothing crazy. Just some small, sentimental stuff mostly," Sharon told Andy.

"I'm sure I'll love it," Andy told her.

"Well, open it," Sharon told Andy.

"What happened to ladies first?" Andy asked her.

"To hell with chivalry right now. I want you to open it," said Sharon excitedly.

"Okay," replied Andy as he smiled at her before beginning to pull some of the tissue paper out of the bag. The first thing he pulled out was a glass jar with 2 large pads of Post its and some pens. He looked a bit confused, so Sharon decided to explain.

"Look at the front," Sharon told him.

As he turned the jar around, he saw the jar was labeled _Date Night_.

Andy smiled at Sharon before he asked, "Date night, huh?"

"Yeah, I thought we could fill the jar with date night ideas together. That's why there are two different colors of Post its," Sharon explained.

"Let me guess. Yours are the purple ones and mine are the blue ones," said Andy.

Yeah. Cause you look amazing in blue," Sharon told him.

"Oh, really?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Yeah. It makes you look really handsome. Total turn on," Sharon told him.

"And it's the color of the Dodgers," said Andy.

"Wow. I'm sitting over here trying to be romantic and sentimental and you're talking about the Dodgers," said Sharon.

"Well, we did have quite the romantic moment at a Dodger game not so long ago." Andy pointed out.

"True…and you do look good in Dodger blue," said Sharon.

Andy laughed before he told Sharon, "I love it and I love having date nights with you. So, we should have fun filling this with ideas."

"Uh huh. Open the next one," Sharon told Andy.

"There's more in here?" Andy asked her.

"Only two more," Sharon told him.

Andy shook his head and smiled at Sharon before he began pulling more tissue paper out of the bag. As he did, it revealed the dark wooden frame of a shadowbox. Andy pulled it out of the bag and looked at the contents inside of it. Inside on a piece of nice scrapbook paper were a few pictures of Sharon and Andy together, a ticket stub from a Dodger's game, a couple of short handwritten notes they'd written each other at one point or another, and at the top read a saying that they often said to each other: There's no other place I'd rather be.

"Thank you so much, Sharon. I love this. I'll definitely be finding a place to hang this tomorrow," said Andy as he wrapped an arm around Sharon and placed a soft kiss against her temple.

"I'm glad you like it. You still have one more in there though. It's in an envelope," said Sharon.

"An envelope, huh? Dodger tickets maybe?" Andy asked her.

"No, but I'll keep that one in mind for your birthday. It's something better," Sharon told him.

As Andy dug through the bag, he found the envelope and pulled it out of the bag. On the outside was his name written in Sharon's familiar handwriting. He peeled open the back of the envelope and pulled a folded piece of paper out of it. As he opened it, he saw it was a letter from Sharon.

He smiled before he asked Sharon, "Will you read it to me?"

"Sure," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy and took the letter from him.

The letter read:

 _Dear Andy,_

 _I never thought I'd fall in love again nor was I planning on it. Then, suddenly there was you with your sarcasm and your jokes and your kindness and understanding and somewhere along the way I fell irrevocably in love with you._

 _There's a saying that says that your soul mate isn't someone who comes into your life peacefully and that was certainly true when I first met you all those years ago when I was still working in FID. We've come a long way since then though. We went to Nicole's wedding together and from that day on, something in my heart turned. At the time, I wasn't sure what that something was._

 _The same saying I mentioned before also says that your soul mate is someone who makes you question things and changes your reality. You've certainly done both of those to say the least. As we became friends and eventually started "not dating," as our children like to call it, I slowly started to realize what in my heart had turned. For years, I closed myself off and didn't even think the possibility of love, at least romantic love, would ever find me again. You were the one who made me believe that falling in love again was even possible. Between dinners and movie "dates" and Dodger games and charity banquets and meeting for coffee & tea on the Sunday mornings we didn't have a case, I began to fall for my best friend. I choose to believe that was the way it was supposed to happen for us because I don't think it would've happened otherwise and frankly I wouldn't have wanted it to happen any other way. Not only are you the man I'm completely and hopelessly in love with, but at the end of the day you're also my best friend and having that as part of the foundation with which we build our relationship upon gives me a great sense of peace because I never have to question if you're on my side or not because at the end of the day we're both on the same team (no pun intended). _

_Seriously though, and as the Jason Mraz song "Lucky" says, "I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend."_

 _All my love,_

 _Sharon_

Andy just looked at Sharon in awe for a moment before he smiled and asked her, "You know what?"

"What?" Sharon asked him.

Andy moved his face closer to Sharon's until his lips were mere inches away from hers and looked into her eyes as he said, "I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend too."

Andy then proceeded to kiss Sharon in a way that left her breathless. After about a minute or so, Andy pulled away and said, As much as I'd like to continue kissing you, I think you should open your present now."

Sharon smiled excitedly at Andy before she picked up the small box and began unwrapping it. Once it was free of the wrapping paper, she saw that it was a medium sized white box. One that a piece of jewelry might be in.

Before she pulled the top off, she asked excitedly, "Andy, what did you do?"

Andy smiled at Sharon before he said, "You'll see. Just open it."

As Sharon pulled the top of the box off, it revealed a silver engraved necklace. On the front, it said: _There's no other place I'd rather be…_

"Oh my god Andy! It's beautiful and it has the phrase we always say to each other," said Sharon as she smiled at him and a few tears began to stream down her face.

"Yeah, it does. Wait until you read what's on the back," Andy told Sharon as he smiled at her.

"There's more?" Sharon asked him excitedly.

"Yeah. Turn it over," Andy told her.

As Sharon flipped the engraved pendant over, it revealed more engraving that said: _than close to your heart—just you and me._

After Sharon read what the back said, more tears began streaming down her face as she said, "Andy…I love it. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it. There's something else though," Andy told her.

"What?" Sharon asked him curiously.

Just then, Andy opened the same drawer he'd taken Sharon's present out of and pulled out a necklace that resembled Sharon's except it had a brushed gold finish and the chain was slightly thicker than the skinnier one he'd given to Sharon.

As he held the pendant part of the necklace in his open hand he said, "This one's mine. That way you're close to my heart wherever I go, whether I'm out in the field on a call or we're across town from each other at our respective houses. That way you're always with me even if we're not always in the same place."

"Oh, Andy…how did I get so lucky?" Sharon asked him through her tears.

"Good karma I guess. Not quite sure how I got so lucky though. If today showed me anything, it's that you coming into my life has been the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. Not only do I now have a better relationship with both of my kids that I've had in years, but I also happen to have this amazingly kind, smart, and loving woman in my life too," replied Andy as he slid his arm around Sharon's waist.

"There's no other place I'd rather be. Plus, I happen to have an amazing boyfriend who's thoughtful and funny and not too bad on the eyes either," said Sharon.

"Boyfriend, huh," said Andy questioningly.

"Yeah…we really need to come up with a better word than that. Boyfriend sounds so…" Sharon trailed off.

"Juvenile," said Andy.

"Yeah. Plus, it doesn't even begin to describe what you mean to me," Sharon told him as she reached over and set her hand just above Andy's knee.

Andy smiled at Sharon before he whispered in her ear, "Guess we'll have to come up with some new names then."

"Yeah. What were you thinking?" Sharon asked him.

"Significant other," Andy suggested before he kissed the sensitive spot behind Sharon's ear.

"No. Too cold and impersonal," said Sharon through the chuckle she let out when Andy's lips made contact with her skin.

"Wooer," said Andy as he placed a kiss on Sharon's neck.

"Ooh, I like the meaning of that one, but the word itself is a bit strange," said Sharon.

"I've got it. Casanova," said Andy before he placed a kiss on Sharon's shoulder.

Andy could feel Sharon's body shake with laughter before she leaned down with her lips next to his ear and whispered flirtatiously, "Maybe in bed."

Andy laughed into Sharon's shoulder for a moment before he looked up at her and asked, "Wanna fool around for a while?

"Uh huh." replied Sharon as she nodded her head and smiled at Andy.

It was then that Andy leaned over and turned the lights out before he and Sharon laid down in bed and began lazily making out. It didn't take long before their kissing began to turn passionate. Andy broke the kiss for a moment and said mischievously, "I think we may have forgotten to unwrap a couple presents."

"Well, my sense of occasion is telling me we should open them," replied Sharon as she played with the bottom of Andy's t-shirt.

"And for the second time tonight, I love your sense of occasion," replied Andy before he pulled Sharon on top of him and they once again began kissing passionately.

The presents they received from each other that night were amazing, but it was nothing compared to what they'd given to each other over the last almost six months together. Love was a powerful thing and the love Sharon and Andy shared was the best gift they could've given each other.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! As always, let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a review. I also wanted to thank all of you for reading and reviewing and for sticking with me through the lack of updating over the past two and a half months! It is greatly appreciated!


	12. Building Blanket Forts & Making Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: So, it came to my attention from a reviewer that I completely forgot to mention that the soulmate quote Sharon says in Chapter 11 is not mine. I feel terrible for forgetting to include such an important detail because I never wish to take credit for another's work. In any case, through my internet research, I was unable to find the author of this quote. It seems to be one of those quotes where the author is either anonymous or unknown. If anybody finds out the author, please PM me so I can give them proper credit. Thanks!

Anyways, here is the next chapter in this story. There's about a four month time jump between the end of the previous chapter and this one. I've also come to the decision that this story will have one more chapter after this one before it's finished. So, this chapter and the next will be wrapping things up and (hopefully) bringing it to a satisfying conclusion for all of you. Enjoy! 

**Chapter 12: Building Blanket Forts & Making Memories**

Sharon and Andy had been dating for about nine months now and neither of them could get enough of each other. Much of their time outside of work was either spent going out somewhere together or spending time at Andy's place or Sharon's condo. So much time in fact, that they each had begun leaving a few extra outfits at the other's place for the nights they stayed over, which were becoming more and more frequent these days. They both took great joy in this domestic life they slowly seemed to be falling into and enjoyed spending as much time as they could together.

Tonight, Sharon was over at Andy's house. Nicole had asked him earlier in the week if he'd be willing to take the boys for the night on Saturday so she and Dean could have some time together. He had immediately agreed and informed Nicole that there would be no stopping Sharon from coming over once he told her the boys would be staying with him that weekend. They'd shared a laugh about that because they both knew how much Sharon loved spending time with Ben & Finn.

* * *

After they all ate dinner on Saturday, Sharon and Andy had the boys change into their pajamas before they chose a movie from the stack of DVD's Nicole had sent over with them.

As Ben & Finn came running down the hall and into the living room in their pajamas, Finn asked Sharon, "What are we watching Sharon?"

"I don't know. Let's see what movies your Dad and Nic sent over," replied Sharon as she pulled a stack of movies out of their backpack.

"Okay, we have The Lego Movie, How To Train Your Dragon, The Angry Birds Movie, Minions, and Up," answered Sharon.

"Oh, can we watch Up?" Finn asked Sharon excitedly.

"I don't know. Let's see what Ben and Grandpa Andy think first. What do you think Ben? Do you wanna watch Up or would you rather watch a different movie?" Sharon asked.

"I like Up," replied Ben.

Just then, Sharon looked up at Andy questioningly before he replied, "Up it is."

As Andy went to put the disc in the DVD player, Sharon went down the hall to grab a few extra blankets before walking back into the living room with them.

As Andy looked down at the blankets in her hand, he eyed Sharon with a playful look in his eye before turning to the boys and asking, "Hey guys. How would you two like to build a fort before we start watching the movie?"

"Cool!" exclaimed Ben.

"Can we sleep in it?" Finn asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," replied Andy as he looked over at Sharon to find her smiling at him.

"How are we gonna build it?" Ben asked Andy.

"Well, first you and I are gonna go get the air mattresses out of the closet while Finn and Sharon go grab the pillows and some more blankets. Then, we'll all meet back in the living room in a couple minutes and come up with a plan," replied Andy with a childlike glint in his eye.

* * *

Andy had blown up the two air mattresses and Sharon had grabbed the chairs from the dining room table while Ben & Finn arranged the pillows. Andy & Sharon then began arranging the chairs around the perimeter of the air mattresses before helping Ben & Finn drape the blankets over the tops of the chairs to create the fort.

"Are you guys ready to watch Up?" Andy asked them.

"Yeah! Have you watched Up, Sharon?" Finn asked her.

"I haven't, but I'm excited to watch it with you guys," replied Sharon.

"That makes two of us," replied Andy.

"It's only the bestest movie in the world," replied Finn.

"It's like his favorite movie ever," Ben explained.

"I can tell," replied Sharon as she chuckled at Finn's excitement over the movie.

"Well, why don't you two climb onto one of those air mattresses and Sharon and I will take the other one so we can start the movie," Andy told the boys.

The boys settled on their air mattress and each grabbed a blanket while Sharon and Andy settled on their own air mattress before Andy draped a large blanket over him and Sharon.

"Are you guys ready?" Andy asked them.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Finn as Andy pressed play to start the movie.

"Picture first though," replied Sharon as she grabbed her phone and took a selfie of the four of them sitting in their carefully constructed blanket fort.

* * *

Soon after, as they laid there watching the opening scene of the love story of Carl and his wife, Ellie unfold, Andy watched as Sharon smiled at the sweet yet difficult love story of the two characters.

When the introduction of the movie concluded, Andy heard Sharon sniffling and pulled her closer to him as he whispered, "What the hell kind of movie is this? It's five minutes in and somebody already died. I thought kids movies were supposed to be happy."

"I know. Is it weird that I found it really beautiful though too? Like they were so happy together and even when things were difficult, they still had each other and adventures to go on together. That's pretty rare to find in life," commented Sharon.

"We somehow managed to find it," Andy whispered in Sharon's ear.

Sharon looked over and smiled at Andy before she placed a kiss against his cheek and said, "Yeah, we have. There's nobody else I'd rather go on adventures with either."

Andy glanced over at Sharon and smiled before he replied, "Me either.

It was then that they finally turned their attention back to the movie to see what kind of new adventure Carl was about to embark on.

* * *

As the credits rolled, Sharon looked over to find the boys fast asleep on their air mattress. She leaned over to pull their blankets up a bit more before turning around to snuggle into Andy as he shut the TV off.

"That was such a mom thing to do," replied Andy as he smiled while placing a kiss against Sharon's temple.

"Well, between the two of us, we have five kids. So, it would make sense," Sharon joked.

"Yeah. Plus two terrific grandsons," added Andy.

"Yes. They are pretty great, aren't they?" Sharon asked him.

"Yeah. You're great with them too and they absolutely love you," replied Andy.

Sharon smiled in the dark as she said, "You know, Rusty's always joking that the next one of the kids to have a kid is really royally screwed because apparently when I'm around babies my mothering mode kicks into overdrive."

"Has he ever even seen you around a baby before?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah, mostly with Gavin & Jorge's little girl, Penelope. He says I turn into this bizarrely mushy person whenever I'm around a baby," said Sharon.

"Well, every time I've seen you around a baby, I think you've been pretty normal. Although, I won't lie and say I'm not looking forward to seeing this bizarrely mushy person someday," Andy told her.

"Maybe someday…" Sharon trailed off sleepily.

"We should get some sleep. Cause I know these two will be waking us up early in the morning," said Andy.

"Mmhmm," Sharon hummed as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

Andy smiled to himself and pulled Sharon closer to him as he too drifted off to sleep peacefully.

* * *

Around 6:30am the next morning, Sharon heard voices and movement coming from the other air mattress. She heard Finn and Ben sitting on their bed debating whether to wake up her and Andy yet. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled over at them. Once Sharon was sure they saw she was awake, she sat up and gently and peeled Andy's hand away from her waist before she motioned for them to quietly follow her into the kitchen.

Once they got into the kitchen, Sharon asked them, "Are you guys hungry?"

"Yeah," replied Ben.

"Do you guys want pancakes?" Sharon asked them.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Finn.

"Shh!" Ben shushed his brother.

"Sorry," Finn apologized.

"It's alright. Grandpa Andy's probably awake in there. Do you guys like blueberries?" Sharon asked them as she began mixing the pancake batter.

"Blueberries are the best!" exclaimed Finn.

"Yeah! Are we gonna have blueberry pancakes, Sharon?" Ben asked her.

"If you guys want, we can," replied Sharon.

"Yeah!" replied Finn excitedly.

"Well, then you guys are gonna need the blueberries for that," replied Andy as he came into the kitchen and grabbed the blueberries out of the fridge before setting them next to the bowl on the counter for Sharon.

"Grandpa Andy!" Finn and Ben exclaimed as they jumped off their seats at the kitchen island and ran over to launch themselves at Andy.

"Morning guys," replied Andy as he hugged them both.

Sharon glanced over at Andy and smiled across the room at him as she shook her head at the scene before her.

Just then, Andy bent down to Ben & Finn's level and said, "I think Nic put coloring books and crayons in your backpacks. Why don't you two go find them and I'll meet you guys in the living room in a couple minutes?"

"Okay. Come on, Finn!" Ben excitedly told his brother as they walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Once the boys went into the living room, Andy walked over to where Sharon was standing at the counter mixing the blueberries into the pancake batter as he wrapped his arms around her waist before placing a kiss against her shoulder.

As Andy continued holding her, he rested his chin on Sharon's shoulder and said, "Good morning."

"Morning," replied Sharon as she turned her head to smile at Andy.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Andy asked her.

"I figured it would happen sooner or later with a 5 and 7 year old in the house," Sharon joked.

"Funny," replied Andy.

"Also very true. I woke up and they were sitting up on their air mattress debating who was gonna be the one to wake us up and when. So, I figured I'd get up and start breakfast," Sharon told him.

Andy chuckled at the story before he pulled Sharon closer to him and asked, "You want me to start the coffee?"

"A man after my own heart," joked Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

"I think we've already established that particular event occurred quite some time ago," replied Andy as he began preparing the coffee to brew.

"Mmhmm," Sharon hummed affirmatively as she poured the pancake batter onto the griddle.

After Andy turned the coffee maker on to brew, he grabbed Sharon's hand and pulled her towards him before placing a kiss against her lips. As they broke apart and continued resting their foreheads together, they heard the sound of laughter coming from the entrance to the kitchen.

"I think we have an audience," Sharon told Andy.

Andy chuckled before moving his lips next to her ear and whispered, "Watch this."

Andy let go of Sharon before quickly turning around and chasing the boys into the living room.

As Sharon turned around to check on the pancakes, she smiled to herself as she heard the sound of laughter coming from the living room.

* * *

After they had all finished eating breakfast and Sharon set everyone's plates in the sink to wash, Andy came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist before leaning down next to her ear and whispering, "Thanks for cooking breakfast. Now, get out of here. Go relax and have fun with the boys. I've got this."

"Are you sure?" Sharon asked him.

"Mmhmm. I'm kicking you out of the kitchen," Andy joked.

Sharon hummed contentedly before she whispered, "That might just earn you some special treatment later."

"Looking forward to it," replied Andy as he let go of Sharon and she turned to head back towards the dining room table.

Meanwhile, as Sharon made her way towards the table, she heard Andy say to the boys, "What do you guys need to tell Sharon for making you breakfast?"

"Thank you, Sharon," both Ben & Finn said at the same time.

"You guys are so welcome. Now, why don't we go watch The Angry Birds Movie in the fort while Grandpa Andy does the dishes," Sharon suggested.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Finn.

"I love that movie!" Ben shouted excitedly.

"Well, then let's go," replied Sharon as she began ushering them towards the living room.

At that, Andy shook his head and smiled to himself before turning his attention back to the dishes that needed to be washed.

* * *

After Andy has finished washing the dishes, he had quietly snuck back to the master bathroom to take a quick shower.

Once he'd gotten dressed, Andy quickly made his way back out towards the living room where he found Sharon in the middle of the air mattresses with Ben and Finn on either side of her.

Andy took a moment to admire the scene before him as a goofy smile overtook his face and Sharon noticed him standing there and suggested, "You know, if you take a picture it tends to last longer."

As she saw Andy take his phone out of his pocket, Sharon quickly paused the movie before she said to the boys, "Grandpa Andy wants to take a picture real quick."

The three of them turned in Andy's direction as he snapped a quick photo before returning his phone back to his pocket.

Sharon turned the movie back on as Andy sat down next to Finn and whispered to Sharon, "The shower's free now if you wanna get a quick shower in."

Sharon looked over and smiled at Andy before she whispered, "I'm fine where I'm at right now. Maybe after the movie's over. After all, I have to find out what happens to all these eggs."

Andy chuckled at that for a moment before it faded into a smile as he turned his attention back to the movie.

* * *

After the credits finished rolling, Andy asked the boys if they wanted to go out to the backyard and play soccer. They had both enthusiastically agreed and he'd told them to go get dressed and then they'd go outside and play. The boys quickly ran towards the bathroom with their clothes.

As Andy heard the door slam slightly, he pulled Sharon towards him and rested his hands on her hips.

"Mmhmm. You smell good. I on the other hand…" Sharon trailed off.

"Smell fine. I'm not sure how you manage it, but even when you haven't showered yet, you still manage to smell wonderful," replied Andy.

"Flattery will get you just about anywhere," Sharon joked.

"What about when it's true? Where does that get me?" Andy asked her mischievously.

"For now, nowhere. Now, later on though…" Sharon trailed off flirtatiously.

"I'll have to keep that in mind," replied Andy before he and Sharon broke apart as they heard the boys running down the hall and towards the living room.

"Can we go play soccer now, Grandpa Andy?" Ben asked Andy.

"Yeah. Why don't you go grab the soccer ball by the front door," said Andy.

"Sharon, are you gonna come play soccer with us?" Finn asked her.

"Well, I'm gonna go take a shower first, but I'll definitely come play with you guys once I'm done," answered Sharon.

"Okay. Come on Ben! Let's go!" Finn exclaimed before he and Ben headed for the backyard with Andy quickly following behind them.

* * *

After Sharon had finished showering, she changed into a pair of black leggings and an oversized purple sweater before drying her hair and throwing it up into a ponytail. Once she walked back into the bedroom, Sharon found her pair of black Nike running shoes and quickly put them on before heading for the backyard.

As she walked out into the backyard, Sharon smiled at the scene before her as she watched Andy playing soccer with Ben & Finn. Once Andy spotted her, he dramatically fell to the ground on his back as he shouted, "Thank god!"

Sharon laughed as she walked towards Andy and stood over him before she asked, "That bad, huh?"

"I'm getting too old for this kind of stuff," replied Andy out of breath.

As Sharon extended her hand to help him up off the ground, she suggested, "Why don't you go grab all of us some water and take a break?"

"Deal," replied an out of breath Andy as he turned to make his way towards the house.

Meanwhile, it was at that moment that both Finn and Ben noticed Sharon's presence.

"Sharon!" exclaimed Finn as he ran towards her.

As Ben followed his brother, he said, "Hey Sharon. Do you wanna play soccer with us?"

"Of course I do," Sharon answered excitedly.

"Good cause Grandpa Andy isn't very good," whispered Finn.

Sharon chuckled at Finn's statement for a moment before she asked, "He isn't?"

"I think he just got tired after a while and let us win," replied Ben.

"Sounds about right. Are you guys ready to play?" Sharon asked them.

"Yeah!" exclaimed both Ben and Finn as they ran off towards the soccer ball with Sharon following closely behind them.

* * *

After another hour had passed, Sharon suggested that they all take a break for a while at the patio table Andy was sitting at.

After taking a swig of water, she asked the boys, "Are you guys hungry?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Finn.

Well, how about a snack?" Sharon asked them.

"Yeah! What are we gonna eat, Sharon?" Ben asked her.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, I think Grandpa Andy and I bought some fruit snacks and granola bars the last time we went to the store. So, unless Grandpa Andy got into them…" Sharon trailed off.

"Nope. They're still in the same place," replied Andy as he smiled at Sharon.

"Well then, let's go get you boys some snacks," replied Sharon as she headed inside, the boys following closely behind her.

As Andy got up to follow them into the kitchen, his phone rang with a Facetime call from Nicole.

"Hey Nic," said Andy after he accepted the call.

"Hey Dad. What are you guys up to?" Nicole asked him.

"Well the boys just finished tiring both of us out playing soccer and now Sharon's in the kitchen getting them both a snack," replied Andy as he walked into the house.

"Hi Nicole!" Sharon said cheerily in the background as she heard Nicole's voice coming from Andy's phone as he entered the kitchen.

"Hi Sharon. Been keeping these three out of trouble?" Nicole asked her as Andy turned the screen of his phone towards her.

"What do you mean trouble? Grandpa Andy was the one causing trouble this morning," Ben interrupted.

"Yeah. He gave Sharon cooties while she was making pancakes for us," Finn added.

"Nic I can explain-" Andy began before the sound of Nicole's laughter interrupted him.

"Don't! I think it's hilarious, Dad!" replied Nicole through her laughter.

Sharon could also be heard laughing in the background before she said to Andy, "You did notice who they chose to sell out first."

"Yeah, dad. Looks like they have a new favorite," replied Nicole.

"We may have fewer women than men in this family, but for some reason I still feel severely outnumbered," Andy told them.

"I'd get used to that if I were you," replied Sharon as she handed the boys their snacks and brought them each a glass of water to the table.

Andy just shook his head before he asked, "Was there a reason for this phone call besides making fun of me?"

"Yeah. I was just calling to let you know that Dean and I are on our way over to your place right now to pick up the boys. We should be there in about ten to fifteen minutes," Nicole told him.

"Great. There were even more witnesses to my humiliation," Andy replied dramatically.

"Well, it doesn't take much when you have two truth telling kids around," Dean could be heard saying in the background.

It was then that Sharon snatched the phone away from Andy and said, "That means you guys are raising them right. We'll see you guys when you get here. In the meantime, I'll try to get this one to stop moping. Bye!"

"Bye! See you soon," replied Nicole as they both hung up and Sharon handed Andy back his phone.

"Was that really necessary?" Andy asked her dramatically.

"Was what necessary?" Ben asked Andy.

"Well, you see Ben, when you're older-" Andy began before Sharon cut him off.

"Stop it," she told Andy.

"What? I was just gonna tell them that when they're older there will come a time when they'll realize that women are always the boss," replied Andy.

"Well, Sharon is your boss at work, Grandpa Andy," commented Ben.

After Sharon recovered from her fit of laughter at Ben's comment, she looked up at Andy and smiled lovingly at him before she said, "And everything else is a discussion."

"Yeah, yeah," replied Andy grouchily before locking eyes with Sharon and instantly grinning at her.

* * *

About 10 minutes later, Nicole and Dean arrived to pick up the boys. After gathering all their stuff and saying their thank yous and goodbyes, the four of them left and Andy and Sharon were once again alone in the house.

As Sharon turned around to begin disassembling the blanket fort still up in the living room, Andy wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered, "Don't."

"Why not?" Sharon asked as she let out a hearty chuckle.

"I've always wanted to make out in a blanket fort… and if I'm not mistaken…a certain someone did promise me some special treatment for doing the dishes," Andy whispered mischievously.

"I told you it might earn you some special treatment later. No definitive deals were made," replied Sharon teasingly.

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind, Captain?" Andy asked before placing a kiss against Sharon's neck.

"Well, for starters, you can stop calling me Captain while you're kissing my neck like that," Sharon told Andy.

"Yeah, that is a little weird, isn't it? How about beautiful?" Andy whispered in Sharon's ear before placing another kiss against her neck.

"Beautiful's much better. Especially considering the circumstances," replied Sharon as she turned around in Andy's arms.

"Which are?" Andy asked mischievously.

"The fact that there's a much better deal to be made here," said Sharon flirtatiously.

"I'm listening," replied Andy as he rested his hands against Sharon's lower back.

"I thought we'd do a little more than making out," Sharon whispered suggestively in Andy's ear before she wiggled out of his grasp and sat down on the air mattress.

As Andy sat down next to Sharon, he whispered, "What did you have in mind?"

It was then that Andy got his answer as Sharon's lips crashed passionately into his. Soon enough, they were laid out flat on the air mattress as hands explored skin and lips began seeking out the most sensitive areas on each other's necks. As the fire continued to build between them, they both knew they were about to make even more memories to last a lifetime. 

A/N: As always, leave me a review to let me know what you thought of the latest chapter of this story. As a writer, I find your feedback and constructive criticism to be of great value in helping me become a better writer and your reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading and staying with me through this LONG hiatus! As I mentioned before, there will probably be one final chapter to this story before it's completed. Until then, you're free to check out some of my other stories you may not have read yet, or if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to recommend some awesome Shandy fanfic authors who have written some amazing stories!


	13. An Old Fashioned Love Story

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen. In addition I also don't own anything related to the plot of the two films mentioned in this chapter.

 **A/N:** This chapter is an epilogue of sorts and takes place about a year and a half after the events of the previous chapter. Sharon and Andy have been dating for two years by this point in the story and they've been "cohabitating" in the house they purchased together for about six months now. Hope you all enjoy the final chapter of this story. Thanks for sticking with me this long and reading it! 

**Chapter 13: An Old Fashioned Love Story**

 _Fifteen Months Later_

A lot had changed for Sharon and Andy in the past year or so. After dating for a little over a year, Sharon and Andy started talking about moving in together. They'd discussed their options and both agreed that moving into a slightly larger place together would be the best choice for them and their family. After an extensive and exhaustive house search, they finally found a three bedroom, two bathroom Mediterranean style house with a den in Eagle Rock that they both fell completely in love with. Other than needing some minor cosmetic updates such as repainting, changing out a couple of the light fixtures, and re-landscaping the backyard after adding a deck off the back of the house, the house had otherwise been perfect for them and Rusty. It gave everyone enough room to spread out, there was a guest room for when the kids or grandkids visited, and they'd even added a nice looking futon to Sharon's office in the den so it could double as extra guest space when they needed it.

Sharon and Andy found that settling into domestic life together had been rather easy for them. They enjoyed living together and both were glad to not have to travel between their two houses anymore. They walked through the same door every night, snuggled close to each other on the same couch, and at the end of the day, fell side by side into the same bed. It was more than living together and sharing a house for them though. Sharon and Andy were starting to see that home wasn't merely a place, but could also be a person too, and that sharing their lives in this way simply felt right for both of them. They weren't just creating a home together. They were creating a life where they couldn't imagine the other not being there at the end of the day.

With this realization, Andy had spoken to Sharon's kids about his intentions, received their blessing, and had sought the advice of Andrea, Emily, and Nicole before he began ring shopping. Eventually, Andy had decided on a one carat east west emerald cut engagement ring that he was sure Sharon would love. A ring that was currently housed in a very safe place.

* * *

Tonight was Sharon and Andy's two year anniversary. Andy had made dinner reservations at a nice seafood restaurant in Santa Monica near the beach. He and Sharon had talked and laughed and shamelessly flirted over dinner and then dessert before Andy paid the check and they headed back towards their house. Little did Sharon know there was more in store for her that evening than simply spending a nice evening with her boyfriend at a nice restaurant.

Once they walked through the front door, Sharon commented, "That's weird. I don't remember leaving the kitchen light on, do you?"

As Sharon slowly began to cautiously make her way towards the kitchen, Andy grabbed her hand and gently tugged her towards him before he said, "There's a surprise for you in there."

"A surprise? From who?" Sharon inquired.

"The idea was mine, but I'll admit I did have a bit of help from the kids with it," replied Andy.

"What did you do?" Sharon asked him.

"You'll see. Come on," said Andy as he and Sharon began walking towards the kitchen.

Once they walked into the kitchen, Sharon saw a fairly big ivory colored box with a dark purple ribbon around it. As Sharon walked over to the kitchen island, she ran her hand over the box as she turned to Andy and said, "I'm almost afraid to open this. You better not have gone and done anything extravagant."

"Even if I had, you'd deserve all of it and more. This however is a more sentimental gift," replied Andy as he walked up behind Sharon and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Good," responded Sharon as she smiled at Andy before she began untying the large purple ribbon from around the box.

As Sharon set the ribbon aside and lifted the lid off the box, she saw that it contained a large leather bound album that said _Our Adventure Book_. Sharon instantly turned around in Andy's arms and smiled widely at him before she said, "You remembered."

"Of course I remember that night. We were laying on an air mattress under a blanket fort in my living room watching Up with Finn and Ben. We watched the movie for a few minutes and you were trying not to cry and I was complaining about how kid's movies are supposed to be happy," recounted Andy.

Sharon laughed at the memory before she asked, "Do you remember what I said to you?"

"Why don't you open the front cover and find out?" suggested Andy as he moved to stand next to Sharon as he kept one arm wrapped around her waist.

As Sharon opened the front cover of the album, there was a message clearly written in Andy's handwriting that said: 

_So, there's a very special woman who once cried at the beginning of a Disney movie. The man next to her, stating the obvious, pointed out that he thought kids movies were supposed to be happy. The woman wasn't only crying because she thought it was sad that the main character's wife had died within the first five minutes of the movie though. She was also crying because in the first five minutes of watching this movie, she saw the beauty of the relationship that the couple, Carl and Ellie, had over the years. She liked that they were so happy together and that even during the difficult times, they were still there for each other and had plenty of adventures to go on together. She commented on how rare it was to find something like that in life. Then, the man, more than likely trying to morph into some idiotic form of Prince Charming, pointed out that they had somehow managed to find it. The woman, overlooking the man's obvious attempt at charm, pointed out that they had found that with each other and that there was nobody else that she'd rather go on adventures with and the man agreed. They then returned their attention to the movie to see what would happen next._

 _The beginning of that movie told the beautiful yet difficult story of Carl and Ellie, but this book is just the beginning of Sharon and Andy's story. Take a look through the pages. I'm sure you'll love what you see. I know I do._

After Sharon finished reading the note inside the cover of the album, she quickly turned her face into Andy's shoulder in an effort to collect herself and hopefully stem the flow of tears that were beginning to run down her face.

"I'm hoping those tears are a positive sign," Andy lovingly whispered in Sharon's ear.

Sharon laughed and lifted her face away from Andy's shoulder as she swiped at the tears rolling down her face and said, "Yes. That and so much more. That was such a beautiful story."

"It's ours and it's only the beginning," Andy told her.

"Yes it is. This must've taken you forever to write," said Sharon.

"Let's just say I went through several drafts before I settled on this one," admitted Andy.

"It's beautiful," Sharon complimented him.

"Turn the page. There's plenty more to the story," said Andy.

As Sharon flipped the page, she saw pictures of her and Andy. Some were just of them together while other ones were of them surrounded by other people and each picture had a carefully labeled caption beneath it explaining the context of the photo.

Sharon wrapped her arm around Andy's waist as she pulled him towards her and asked, "You did all of this?"

"This was the part I had help from the kids on. Some of the pictures are from them. Others are copies of photos that you and I have of us together. I gathered all the photos together and told Nicole how I wanted them laid out and she scrapbooked them for me and added the captions I told her I wanted on each one," explained Andy.

Sharon continued flipping through the photos until she came to the last page that had photos on it and said, "This is amazing Andy. Better than any material thing you could've gotten me. Thank you."

Andy smiled at Sharon as he said, "My pleasure. Happy Anniversary,"

"Happy Anniversary," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy before she kissed him.

Andy reluctantly broke the kiss a minute later and whispered, "Anniversary night isn't over yet."

"Judging by that kiss it's just getting started," Sharon whispered back suggestively.

Andy laughed before he replied, "I'm sure that will inevitably happen at some point tonight, but that's not exactly what I was talking about."

"Oh?" Sharon asked as she raised her eyebrows curiously at Andy.

"I have another surprise waiting for you in the backyard," revealed Andy.

"The backyard? I'm not sure if I should be scared or intrigued," commented Sharon.

"Close your eyes," Andy told Sharon.

"What?" Sharon asked confusedly.

"Take my hands and close your eyes," repeated Andy.

As Sharon took Andy's hands in hers and closed her eyes, she said, "You're just full of surprises today, aren't you? First the flowers delivered to my office, then a fancy dinner at the beach, and then the Adventure Book. You sure know how to show a woman a good time, Mr. Flynn."

Andy smiled at Sharon's flirtatiousness as he continued leading her out into the middle of the backyard. Once he had Sharon standing where she'd be able to see everything, he continued holding on to one of her hands as he grabbed a remote and quickly hit a button on it.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Sharon asked him.

"In a minute," replied Andy as he went to stand behind Sharon.

Once the projector finished booting up, Andy wrapped his arms around Sharon's waist and whispered, "You can open your eyes now."

Sharon opened her eyes to the sight of a huge projection screen with An Affair to Remember ready to play on it. Next, she saw two chaise lounge chairs situated directly in front of her with a cluster of purple and ivory balloons attached to each one.

As she took in the impressive sight before her, she turned around in Andy's arms and smiled at him as she asked, "You're really trying to make me cry tonight, aren't you?"

"Not intentionally. You like it?" asked Andy.

"Like it? I love it, Andy," answered Sharon as she placed a chaste kiss against Andy's lips.

"I'm glad you love it. Like I said before, you deserve all of this and more," Andy told Sharon before he closed the minute distance between their lips and kissed her.

"Best anniversary ever," proclaimed Sharon as Andy broke the kiss.

"Just means I'll be thinking of ways to top it next year," joked Andy.

"You know you don't have to wine and dine me so much, right?" inquired Sharon.

"I know, but I still love doing it from time to time. You deserve to know you're cherished and loved," reasoned Andy.

"Such a romantic," beamed Sharon.

"What do you say we put these chaises together and get cozy while we watch our movie?" suggested Andy.

Sharon hummed happily before she kissed Andy's lips and whispered, "It's a date."

"Come on," said Andy as he smiled at Sharon's comment and led them over to the chaise lounge chairs so they could begin their movie.

* * *

"Do you remember the first time we watched this movie together?" Andy asked Sharon after the movie ended a couple hours later.

"Of course. We had been dating for almost a year by then. We'd just closed an exceptionally difficult case. You needed a meeting and I needed some time to decompress, but you promised to come over afterwards with some chocolate cheesecake. Except you decided to bring a bit of an extra surprise with you that night. So, after we cut into the chocolate cheesecake, we snuggled on the couch to watch this movie together. You somehow knew that what I needed after a horrible case like that was chocolate cheesecake, an old fashioned love story, and your arms around me," recalled Sharon.

"That was a good night," Andy smiled at the memory.

"Mmmhmm. It was just what I needed that night. Afterwards, I remember turning to you and asking how such an unlikely love story could be so beautiful. You looked at me and said that love isn't always logical. Two people who would've never thought they'd even like each other, let alone anything more than that, all of a sudden finds themselves being drawn to each other more and more. Each day brings them a little bit closer together until it's pretty obvious to everybody what's going on between them. Neither of them planned for this to happen. It just did. They'd fallen for each other once and they had never really stopped loving each other since," Sharon reminisced.

"What would you say if I told you that I still have one surprise left?" asked Andy as he stood up from the chair they'd been sitting in.

After Andy extended his hand and helped Sharon up from the chaise, she inched her face slightly closer to his as she said, "I'd say that I'm not all that surprised because you have a tendency to be full of surprises."

"That's true," responded Andy as he took both of Sharon's hands in his.

"So, what's this next surprise all about?" asked Sharon as she lifted her eyebrows questioningly at Andy.

"Close your eyes and I'll tell you about it," Andy told Sharon.

As Sharon closed her eyes, she asked jokingly, "Did you get me a puppy?"

"No, but that's not a bad idea for next time," replied Andy.

"So, if it's not a puppy, why am I standing in the middle of the backyard with my eyes closed?" inquired Sharon.

"Because love isn't always logical and two people who never dreamed that they'd fall in love with each other have gone and done exactly that and it's pretty clear to one of them where they'd like them to go next," said Andy as he knelt in front of Sharon before pulling a square box out of his pocket and opening it.

"Can I open my eyes now?" Sharon asked shakily as she squeezed Andy's hand in hers.

"Only if you let me ask you one question," said Andy.

"What would that be?" Sharon asked with a watery smile as she opened her eyes to Andy bent down on one knee in front of her with a box in his hand containing a beautiful diamond ring.

"Sharon O'Dwyer Raydor, would you do me the great honor of agreeing to become my wife?" Andy asked her.

With tears streaming down her face and the hugest smile on her face, Sharon replied, "Yes! Of course! Now get up here so I can kiss my fiancé for being the most romantic man I know."

After Sharon helped Andy to his feet, she pulled him close as they shared a kiss that was overflowing with love.

A minute later, Andy reluctantly broke the kiss as he rested his forehead against Sharon's and said, "I believe this belongs on your left hand."

Sharon nods her head against Andy's and presents her left hand to him. He takes the ring out of the box and slides it down Sharon's ring finger before lifting her hand to his lips and kissing the top of it.

"It's stunning, Andy," Sharon told Andy as she smiled at him.

"Yeah?" Andy asked her.

"Mmhmm. I can't wait to show it off," affirmed Sharon.

"Speaking of showing it off, I promised the kids I'd let them know how this all turned out," said Andy.

"They knew about this?" Sharon asked him.

"Yeah. I talked to each of them a few months ago and let them know what I had planned. They were all too eager to help me pull everything together. Rusty, Brandon, and Nicole were actually the ones who came over and set the backyard up while we were at dinner," explained Andy.

"We've got some amazing kids, don't we?" stated Sharon.

"The best," answered Andy.

"Well, a picture is worth a thousand words," Sharon pointed out.

"It is. How about we send them a picture of the ring?" suggested Andy.

"I think that's perfect," replied Sharon as she stuck her left hand out in front of her so Andy could take a picture of her engagement ring on her finger.

Andy took the photo and sent it to all of their kids and a copy of it to Sharon's phone before he said, "Okay. Phones off."

"As much as I love that idea, what if we catch a case in the middle of the night?" asked Sharon.

"I may have asked Provenza to cover for you if a case comes in tonight," explained Andy.

"I'm not even gonna ask what you had to do to get him to do that," said Sharon as she too turned off her phone.

"Good. Cause we've got lots to celebrate," Andy pointed out.

"We do," replied Sharon as she bit down on her bottom lip and played with Andy's tie.

Andy leaned his face next to Sharon's ear as he whispered, "You know what that does to me."

"Why do you think I do it?" Sharon quipped teasingly.

Suddenly, Sharon felt Andy's tongue touch the sensitive spot behind her ear before he said, "You're not the only one with intimate knowledge here."

"Lucky me," replied Sharon as she playfully pulled on Andy's tie and began moving them backwards toward the house.

As Andy continued maneuvering them towards the back door, Sharon pulled him towards her as they began kissing passionately.

Once they were standing in front of the door, Andy reluctantly broke the kiss as he used one hand to stop Sharon from hitting the door and quickly reached for the doorknob to open the french door that led into the house. Once they made it through the doorway, Sharon quickly closed and locked it before she and Andy resumed their previous activities. As they continued making out, Sharon's hands eventually slipped underneath Andy's shirt as his quickly found the zipper at the back of Sharon's dress.

As Andy began moving them in the direction of their bedroom, he broke the kiss as he said, "Thank god for first floor master bedrooms."

Sharon laughed before she replied, "Yeah. Not sure we'd make it there if we had to climb the stairs."

"Wouldn't be the first time," said Andy mischievously.

"No. Although stiff hips and a sore back aren't exactly my idea of a good time. Especially tonight," replied Sharon.

"True. There's more room on the bed anyways," commented Andy as he continued directing them down the hallway.

"Room for what?" Sharon flirtatiously asked him.

"Celebrating till the sun comes up," Andy shot back.

"My sense of occasion seems to have rubbed off on you," responded Sharon

"Among other things. Why do you think I asked you to marry me?" teased Andy.

"Why did you ask me to marry you? Besides the obvious reasons," said Sharon.

"Because you're too good to me and great for me. I'd be an idiot not to ask you to marry me. Why did you say yes?" Andy asked Sharon as he pulled her towards him and leaned against the wall in the hallway.

"Because I love the way you're always there for me whenever I need you. Whether it's to kiss me or hold me or make me smile and laugh with one of your stupid jokes," answered Sharon.

"Seems to me that we're quite the pair," said Andy.

"Mmhmm. The best. Like you and surprises," responded Sharon.

"Well, I am full of surprises," Andy declared proudly.

"I've noticed," replied Sharon as she quirked her eyebrow teasingly at Andy as she pulled him away from the wall and down the hall before they made their way into their bedroom.

"Somebody's passionate tonight," commented Andy.

"Oh, like you're not some amorous casanova," Sharon wittily responded as she pulled Andy towards the bed.

"They say passionate people make the best lovers," murmured Andy as he and Sharon stood in front of their bed.

"What do they say about passionate people and marriage?" Sharon asked teasingly.

"That they're especially talented when it comes to the loving and cherishing part of marriage," answered Andy.

"Good to know. Something to look forward to," said Sharon.

"Yeah. In fact, I think we should start practicing right now," suggested Andy.

"I like the way you think, Andy Flynn," replied Sharon as she fell onto the bed, pulling Andy down with her.

* * *

Sharon and Andy's anniversary and engagement celebrations continued for the rest of the night and even ended up spilling over a bit into the following morning.

That morning, as Andy woke up, he could distinctly smell the scent of coffee and breakfast food cooking in the kitchen. However, he was slightly confused when he realized Sharon was still lying next to him fast asleep. He smiled to himself and looked over at the clock to see what time it was before turning his attention back towards Sharon.

Figuring there were more than a few people camped out in their kitchen at the moment, Andy decided now was probably the time to wake Sharon up. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss against Sharon's neck before moving down to do the same to her shoulder. It was during the second kiss that she started to stir a bit as she opened her eyes to look at him.

"Morning sunshine," greeted Andy.

"Mmm. Morning. What time is it?" Sharon asked him.

"A little after eight," answered Andy.

"Mmm. It smells good. Did you make breakfast?" inquired Sharon as she brushed her hand against Andy's cheek.

"Not me. If I had to hazard a guess though, I'd say there's probably at least seven or eight people in our kitchen right now," Andy informed her.

Sharon smiled to herself before she looked at Andy and said, "They're so sweet."

"They really are. So, should we get up now or should we stay in bed a little longer and make out?" teased Andy.

"Well, if last night is any indication, I think it's probably best that we get up now. Cause the last thing either of us probably wants to do is explain to our children what the noises coming from our bedroom were," retorted Sharon.

"Yeah, that could get a bit awkward. Rain check, then?" Andy asked hopefully.

"Definitely," replied Sharon as she turned to look at Andy as she got out of bed.

"That's a nice view," Andy told Sharon as he got out of bed and watched her naked form as she walked over to their closet.

"And you say I'm the tease," Sharon uttered from the closet.

"I think we're both equally skilled in that department," replied Andy as his hand brushed lightly across Sharon's back as he walked past her to his side of the closet.

"Whatever it takes to keep the spark alive," Sharon playfully replied.

"As evidenced by last night and all the times before that, I think it's safe to say that fire will never go out," quipped Andy.

"No. We seem to be rather gifted where that's concerned," stated Sharon as she slipped a blue and white striped sundress over her head and pulled it down over her body.

Andy looked over at Sharon and smiled at her as he said, "I've always liked that dress on you."

"Why don't you work on making yourself look presentable while I clean last night's makeup off my face," suggested Sharon as she exited the closet and walked into the master bathroom.

Andy smiled to himself for a moment before turning his attention back to choosing an outfit. He eventually settled on a pair of jeans and a Dodger's t-shirt and quickly got dressed before joining Sharon in the bathroom.

As Andy waited for Sharon to finish applying the minimal makeup she'd decided to put on, he took the time to fix the mess his hair had become last night. As he finished combing through his hair, he caught Sharon sneaking glances at him in the mirror as she applied her lipstick.

"Apparently I'm not the only one who likes to stare," Andy commented teasingly.

"Well, I do appreciate a man with nice hair," retorted Sharon playfully as she wrapped her arms around Andy's neck and played with the hair at the base of his neck.

"How does it look?" Andy asked teasingly as he rested his hands against Sharon's lower back.

"Fine," replied Sharon as she smiled at Andy.

"I'll let you mess my hair up later if you let me mess up yours," Andy offered suggestively.

"Deal. Now let's get out there before this turns into something awkward to explain to our children," suggested Sharon as she made her way out of the bathroom.

Andy quickly caught up to Sharon and slipped his hand into hers as he gently ran his fingers back and forth over her engagement ring. Sharon turned to look at him and smiled at the gesture before she opened their bedroom door as they headed for the kitchen.

* * *

As they entered the kitchen a few moments later, they weren't at all surprised to see a whole spread of assorted breakfast foods laid out on the kitchen island. Sharon however was quite surprised to see her other two children among the guests currently sitting at their kitchen table. Sharon quickly let go of Andy's hand and ran to wrap Ricky and Emily in a hug as they stood up from the table and began walking towards her.

As Sharon tried and failed to hold back her tears, she told them tearfully, "Oh my goodness! I can't believe you two are here right now."

"Are you kidding mom? We wouldn't miss celebrating this for the world," said Ricky.

"Yeah, mom. It's not every day our mother gets engaged. Nothing was gonna stop us from coming out here to celebrate," added Emily.

Just then, Sharon turned around to look at Andy before she asked him, "Did you know about this?"

"Not a clue. Can't say I'm all that surprised though. Especially considering how much of a sense of occasion their mother has," replied Andy.

"You're certainly right about that, Andy. Congrats," said Ricky as he shook Andy's hand.

"Thanks Ricky. I'm just glad she said yes," responded Andy before he pulled Ricky into a hug.

"Oh, like she would've said no. Living together is generally the equivalent of playing for keeps. At least in mom's book it is. Plus, didn't I say before their second date that mom must have it bad for Andy cause she couldn't stop smiling?" Emily asked her brothers as she hugged Andy.

"You totally said that," Rusty piped up as he stood up to hug Sharon.

"I distinctly remember someone spilling the beans on that one," replied Sharon good naturedly as she hugged her son.

"Congratulations mom," Rusty told her as he hugged her back.

"Thanks Rusty," said Sharon before she looked over at the rest of the smiling crowd at the table and said, "The six of you better get over here so I can hug you too."

Nicole and Dean prompted Ben and Finn to go over first before the two of them, Brandon, and Gus stood up to join the rest of the family in their celebration.

Finn ran up to hug Sharon while Ben ran up to hug Andy as the two of them each picked a boy up in their arms.

"Sharon, are you and Grandpa Andy getting married?" Finn asked her.

"Yes we are, Finn," Sharon happily answered.

"When?" Ben asked them.

Andy looked over at Sharon to indicate that the timeline was entirely up to her.

"Well, Ben. Grandpa Andy and I don't have an exact date picked out yet, but I'd say sometime in the next year or so," Sharon told him.

"And every single one of us will be there," replied Nicole as she wrapped Sharon in a tight hug while Brandon congratulated his father with a hug before he and Nicole switched to congratulate the other half of the happy couple.

After Dean and Gus also congratulated them, Gus asked, "Who's ready to eat?"

A chorus of cheers erupted before everyone walked over to grab what they wanted from the platters on the kitchen island.

Soon after everyone sat down at the large dining table to begin enjoying their breakfast, the clink of a glass could be heard as Sharon stood up from the head of the table with Andy's hand in hers as she encouraged him to stand as well. She slid her hand from Andy's as she moved to snake it around his back and pull him closer to her side before she addressed the group before them.

"So, from what I understand every single one of you played some part in the events of last night. Both Andy and I are extremely touched and grateful that you'd all take time out of your own lives to help make our anniversary and engagement special. We are immensely thankful to have the support of such an amazing and wonderful family and are glad that you're all here to celebrate this exciting time in our lives with us. As all of you well know, families come in many forms and people don't necessarily have to be blood related to one another to be a family. I think Rusty put it best when he said that family means loving each other no matter what and I believe that I speak for both Andy and I when I say that we envision that same sentiment for our family. For this family," beamed Sharon gratefully.

Andy reached behind Sharon and pulled her slightly closer to his side before he added, "Definitely. Most of you have probably heard Sharon say this once or twice, but all we ever expect of any of you is to be safe and be kind. So, if any of you are ever in any sort of trouble or just need advice about something going on in your own lives, know that both of us are only a phone call away. If you need someone to lend a listening ear, we're here for you. If you're stuck on the side of the road somewhere, we'll come pick you up. If you're on the other side of the country, we'll fly to wherever we need to in order to be there for you when you need us. Every single one of you is a member of our family and while the shape of our family may change over the years to include your future spouses and any future children you may decide to have, the idea that family means loving each other no matter what will always remain at the core of what this family stands for."

Sharon tucked her face into Andy's shoulder as a few tears began to escape from her eyes at his words. A moment later she lifted her head away from his shoulder and laughed embarrassedly as she said, "I promised myself I wasn't gonna cry and now look at me."

Andy wiped a few stray tears from Sharon's face before he said, "You look absolutely beautiful and as long as those are happy tears, I think we'll be just fine."

Sharon nodded her head at Andy before she directed her attention towards the rest of the family and said, "Okay. Enough crying for now. Let's eat."

As the family sat down to enjoy a nice breakfast and celebrate the journey that Sharon and Andy were about to embark on together, Sharon couldn't help but think back to when her and Andy had first started dating. She'd flirtatiously said something to him at the end of that first date that neither one of them would ever forget. Sharon told him that she was old fashioned, not dead. Those five words had ignited a passion so strong between the two of them that it was sure to last for many years to come.

Andy gently squeezed Sharon's hand to get her attention before he asked her, "What's on your mind?"

Sharon smiled at him as she said, "How old fashioned dating seems to have worked out rather well for us."

Andy looked out at the rest of the people sitting at their dining table and then turned his attention back towards Sharon and smiled as he replied, "I couldn't agree more. Especially when it's our own personal brand of old fashioned dating."

"It's gotten us this far," remarked Sharon.

"And I'm sure we'll have fun dating in the old fashioned sense of the word for many years to come," said Andy.

"Promise?" Sharon asked flirtatiously.

"Till death do us part," responded Andy as Sharon grinned excitedly at his choice of words.

As Sharon and Andy turned their attention back towards engaging in conversation with their family, the thought that in a year or so they'd be Mr. & Mrs. Flynn was never far from their minds. Their friendship may have been the foundation from which they built their relationship upon, but now they were preparing to take that a step further. A step in which they would take both their friendship and their old fashioned dating and use that to lay the foundation for a solid marriage. It would certainly be a new adventure for them as a couple, but as they'd pointed out to one another fifteen months earlier, there was no one else they'd rather go on adventures with than each other. They may be getting married, but their old fashioned dating would never cease to exist and it would always be theirs.

 **The End**

 **A/N:** Thank you so much to every single person who has read, favorited, or left a review or message with words of encouragement or constructive criticism or simply interest in when this story would next be updated. It has admittedly took me quite a bit of time to finally complete this story and complete it in a way that not only I was satisfied with, but also an ending that I thought would satisfy the readers of this story. As always, feel free to leave me a review to let me know what you thought of the ending or just your thoughts on the story in general. This was my first larger scale fic and this journey has definitely been a learning experience for me both personally and as a writer. If you have any suggestions for the future, please don't hesitate to let me know.

My next writing project will be to finally get back to writing more chapters for Hands, which many people have asked when I will be returning to. I can't give all of you an exact date yet on when a new chapter of that story will be up, but once I've got a decent idea of what the timeline might look like, I'll be sure to post a writing update on my Tumblr page. If any of you aren't aware of where it's located, you can go to Tumblr and search love-letters-x-cardigan-sweaters. Again, a huge thank you to all of you for coming on this Shandy adventure with me! Writing this story has been a challenging, yet thoroughly enjoyable ride for me and serves as a reminder as to why I started writing in the first place.


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